Laura Nyro - 'Beads of Sweat' (1970)

From Laura Nyro's fourth album 'Christmas and the Beads of Sweat'. Duane Allman provides guitar on this track.

Cold jade wind
not an angel in the sky
just cold jade restless wind
somethin's coming, I know
to devastate
my soul

I pricked my fingers
on the thorns
and this rain is a'rainin' hard
This sky's gonna beckon Mariah
to match my soul
rain in the river
rain in the river
rain on the river banks
down my neck
beads of sweat

Rain on the highway
running clear across New York
a windsong through the barren trees
wild lavender heather
by the railroad sways
Listen to the wailin'
of the rain in the river
rain on the river banks
Roll, roll
river rock his soul
she's calling you
rainclouds
rainclouds
Roll, roll
river rock his soul
she's calling you
rainclouds
rainclouds
down his neck
down his neck
down his neck
beads of
beads of
beads of
beads of sweat

five boys standing
on the banks of the river
waiting for the virgin snow
searching for a miracle
a pearl in an oyster
and we all looked out to God
although he is the color of the wind
Listen to the wailing
of the rain in the river
rain on the river banks

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Laura
• Nyro
• Duane
• Allman
• Christmas
• and
• the
• Beads
• of
• Sweat
• New
• York
• Tendaberry
• Eli
• Thirteenth
• Confession
• Singer
• Songwriter

[chunter5100]

To me, Laura Nyro is the best singer i have ever heard..period..she affected my life so deeply I have never gotten over her...but she she not only affected my life, she affected all of my friends, who were pretty heavy rockers at the time, we were into Jimi Hendrix, Led Zepplin, Deep Purple, and her....

[17205513]

This is the SHIT!!!! This has power,beauty,and creativity. HEART!!!! What has happened to America where pop music now is nothing but a mask for a good business plan.

[earlmanley]

This song embodies Nyro's art for me..Allman's guitar juxtaposed with Nyro's vulnerable voice is incredible

[Lipoetlovejoeself]

This song rocks! LAURA Rocks! And now she's in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame!!! Woooooooooo!!! Baby!

[skydog7779]

Another great performance by Duane Allman.  He just could capture the vibe of any song he played on.

[Lovemylovething]

She's the best, then, now, and always! Thanks for posting this intense classic.

[DYNODRUM]

@JVYT1 This, side was also Played on and Produced by" Felix Cavaliere and Dino Danelli-Rascals"..N.Y. City had The Best of the Best and The Real deal of the Time ..Laura is respected by The spirit of ,Peace...

[laura80598]

So beautiful!

[MatthewMattero]

love it! Psychedelic rock!

[kdwyer52]

talk about creative genius, there'll never be another like Laura Nyro

[guodade]

This is an amazing classic, whose lyrics seem to me to be based on Native American mysticism, but is rarely appreciated. Listening to most of “Christmas and the Beads of Sweat”, it sounds amazingly ahead of its time; though the production of the first side is by pop producer Arif Mardin, some of the acoustic guitar lines remind me of none other than Robin Guthrie - fifteen years earlier. More than that, the way this song is layered would make it impossible to reproduce live.

[magdaszabo]

@steinar123 one must have them all!!