Rest In Peace was originally released as the B-side to the Mott The Hoople track The Golden Age of Rock 'n' Roll from The Hoople LP. Hunter wrote the song after seeing a Bob Dylan gig at Madison Square Garden in NYC. Generously, Hunter gave the band members in Mott The Hoople writing and publishing credit on B-sides that he wrote which earns the same amount in royalties as the A-sides. It sounds like a summary of a life at a funeral and was revived in 2002 and 2004 during Hunter's solo career.
Ian Hunter On Track for Sonicbond Publishing, The DoctorOfDigital@pm.me
Ian explains the whole story at 17:30 on this bootleg - https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=T1cptbzJLH4...
TL
DM
The Golden Age of Rock 'n' Roll" / "Rest in Peace" (March 1974) – UK No. 16 / US No. 96 From MTH 1974's The Hoople LP.
During Ian's solo career, there are two versions from 2002 and 2004 respectively.
TG in conversation with him. Bob Dylan
Rest in Peace (studio version)
(Ian Hunter)
Oh if my wheel could take another turn
and if my life replaced itself again,
I wouldn't want a single thing to change.
Oh it's been good, though it's been strange.
And if my dreams were willing to come true,
oh I would not even try to let them through.
I'm sure there's things I've missed, that others preached.
The goals they reached, they weren't for me.
Rest in peace,
even though the worries seem to mount,
don't let them count.
Rest in peace.
Throw all those smiles and paper miles away.
You make willow pattern pictures through the rain.
And swallow when your heart begins to breathe,
just like a bird, do what it please.
'Cause I ain't gonna be here all that long
and when I'm old I want to know I sung.
If there's a road ahead, I'll jump right in.
Just got to win, this is my hymn.
Rest in peace,
even though your worries seem to mount,
don't let them count.
Rest in peace.
Rest in peace.
There are a number of differences in the lyrics to the live-album version:
Rest in Peace ("Mott The Hoople Live" version)
(Ian Hunter)
Oh if my wheel could take another turn
and if my life replaced itself again,
I wouldn't want a single thing to change.
Oh it's been good, though it's been strange.
And if my dreams were willing to come true,
oh I would not even try to force them through.
I'm sure there's things I've missed, that others preached.
The goals they reached, they weren't for me.
Rest in peace,
even though the worries seem to mount,
don't let them count.
Rest in peace.
Throw all those miles and paper smiles away.
You make willow pattern pictures through the rain.
And swallow when your heart begins to breathe,
just like the birds, do what they please.
'Cause you know, we ain't gonna be here all that long
and when I go I want to know I sung.
If there's a road ahead, I'll jump right in.
Just got to win, this is my hymn.
Rest in peace,
even though your worries seem to mount,
don't let them count.
Rest in peace.
Rest in peace.
Rest In Peace | 3:54 | Originally the B-side to The Golden Age of Rock n Roll, it can be found on The Collection, Ballad of Mott - A Retrospective, All The Young Dudes - The Anthology, Gold, The Golden Age of Rock n Roll, Shades of Ian Hunter - The Ballad of Mott The Hoople, The Very Best of Ian Hunter and the 2000 and 2006 CD reissues of The Hoople. |
Rest In Peace (live 13th April 1974) | 6:54 | This live version (recorded Santa Monica Civic Center, Los Angeles CA) can be found on Two Miles From Live Heaven, the In Performance box set and the compilations Concert Anthology and Essential Young Dudes - Live And More. |
Rest In Peace (live 8/9th May 1974) | 6:01 | This live version (recorded Uris Theater, New York City NY) can be found on Live and the compilations The Essential Mott The Hoople and Roll Away The Stone. |
Rest In Peace (live 29/30th January 2002) | 6:31 | Originally a Mott The Hoople track. This live version (recorded Sentrum Scene, Oslo Norway) was released on Strings Attached. |
Rest In Peace (live 28th May 2004) | 4:42 | This live version (recorded The Astoria, London England) was released on The Truth, The Whole Truth and Nuthin' But The Truth. Not on the box set. |