Like the others who have written before me, I've spent hours reading about the fascinating history and interpretations of this beautiful song. I was in search of interpretation of the lyrics when I found this site and would just like to add that despite being a hugh Van Morrison fan and despite listening to the many other great versions mentioned above, my favorite is still the version I first heard by Mark Knofler (www.youtube.com/watch?v=zftcuVQDcNM). I'm surprised no one else mentioned this version and highly recommend giving it a look if you havent already.