Across the Bridge

Figure 1: source

I was listening to Van Morrison's Across The Bridge Where Angels Dwell and was reminded of the widespread, popular images of of the scene where children are on or crossing a bridge while an angel is hovering over them". The image shown in Figure 1 is less common in that it's a photograph rather than a painting. 

The lyrics to the song go:

Across the bridge where angels dwell

Across the bridge where angels

Across the bridge where angels dwell 

 

Children play 

 

Beyond the place where time is still

Beyond the place where time is

Beyond the place where time is still 

 

Night is day 

 

Close your eyes in fields of wonder

Close your eyes and dream

Close your eyes in fields of wonder

Close your eyes and dream 

 

Along the path where heaven lies

Along the path where heaven

Along the path where heaven lies 

 

All is clear 

 

Ahead where home awaits the heart

Ahead where home is waiting

Ahead where home awaits the heart 

 

Peace is near 

 

Close your eyes in fields of wonder

Close your eyes and dream

Close your eyes in fields of wonder

Close your eyes and dream 

 

Across the bridge where angels dwell

Across the bridge where angels

Across the bridge where angels dwell 

 

Children play

Figure 2 shows another image of the scene.

Figure 2: source

I've also been playing the song on guitar and getting it sound reasonable enough. Below are the chords to accompany the lyrics.

[Verse 1]

G                         C

Across the bridge where angels dwell

G                         C

Across the bridge where angels

G                         C                    G

Across the bridge where angels dwell children play

  

[Verse 2]

G                        C

Beyond the place where time is still

G                        C

Beyond the place where time is

G                        C                      G

Beyond the place where time is still, night is day

 

[Chorus]

C           D        G         C

Close your eyes in fields of wonder

C           D        G

Close your eyes and dream

C           D        G         C

Close your eyes in fields of wonder

C           D        G

Close your eyes and dream

  

[Verse 3]

G                      C

Along the path where heaven lies

G                      C

Along the path where heaven

G                      C                  G

Along the path where heaven lies all is clear

 

[Verse 4]

G                   C

Ahead where home awaits the heart

G                     C

Ahead where home is waiting

G                   C                        G

Ahead where home awaits the heart, peace is near

  

[Chorus]

C           D        G         C

Close your eyes in fields of wonder

C           D        G

Close your eyes and dream

C           D        G         C

Close your eyes in fields of wonder

C           D        G

Close your eyes and dream

  

[Verse 5]

G                         C

Across the bridge where angels dwell

G                         C

Across the bridge where angels

G                         C                    G

Across the bridge where angels dwell children play 

Figure 3 shows a sculpture of the scene:

Figure 3: source

I discovered today that Jim Reeves has a song titled Across the Bridge with lyrics as follows:

I have lived a life of sin in this world I'm living in

I have done forbidden things I shouldn't do

I asked a beggar along the way if he could tell me where to stay

Where I could find real happiness and love that's true

Across the bridge there's no more sorrow

Across the bridge there's no more pain

The sun will shine across the river

And you'll never be unhappy again

Follow the footsteps of the King 'til you hear the voices ring

They'll be singing out the glory of the land

The river Jordan will be near, the sound of trumpet you will hear

And you'll behold the most precious place ever known to man

Across the bridge there's no more sorrow

Across the bridge there's no more pain

The sun will shine across the river

And you'll never be unhappy again

Across the bridge there's no more sorrow (Across the bridge there's no more sorrow)

Across the bridge there's no more pain (Across the bridge there's no more pain)

The sun will shine across the river

And you'll never be unhappy again...

Jim Reeves was one of the singers whose songs Meher Baba enjoyed listening to. Here are chords to the song. Although I've yet to try playing it on guitar, it doesn't look too difficult.

[Verse 1]

C

I have lived a life of sin

 

In this world I'm living in

       G7                                C

I have done forbidden things I shouldn't do

 C

I ask a beggar along the way

 

If he could tell me where to stay

              G7                                  C

Where I could find real happiness and love that's true

  

[Refrain]

C

Across the bridge there's no more sorrow

                                  G7

Across the bridge there's no more pain

             C     C7         F

The sun will shine across the river

           C        G7      C

And you'll never be unhappy again

 

[Instrumental]

C      G7      C 

 

[Verse 2]

 C

Follow the footsteps of the King

 

Till you hear the voices ring

           G7                           C

They'll be singing out the glory of the Land

 C

The river Jordan will be near

 

The sound of trumpet you will hear

           G7

And you'll behold the most precious place

              C

Ever known to man

  

[Refrain]

 C

Across the bridge there's no more sorrow

                                  G7

Across the bridge there's no more pain

             C     C7         F

The sun will shine across the river

           C        G7      C

And you'll never be unhappy again

  

[Final]

 C

Across the bridge there's no more sorrow

                                  G7

Across the bridge there's no more pain

             C     C7         F

The sun will shine across the river

           C        G7      C

And you'll never be unhappy again 

 

There is a wealth of symbolism associated with bridges:

The bridge is inherently symbolic of communication and union, whether it be between heaven and earth or two distinct realms. For this reason it can be seen as the connection between God and Man. It may be the passage to reality, or merely a symbol for travel and crossing.  Source.

Bridge, as a noun, translates to jembatan in Indonesia while bridge, as a verb, translates to menjembatani. Just as there is the question "why did the chicken cross the road?" with an accompanying answer of "to get to the other side", likewise it could be asked "why was the bridge built?" and the answer might come back "to get to the other side" (of the river, gorge or whatever). In other words a bridge can be quite mundane and yet sometimes quite beautiful. Figure 4 shows a pedestrian (in both senses of the word), simple and (to my mind at least) beautiful bridge.

Figure 4

Of course, both Van Morrison and Jim Reeves are singing about non-physical bridges linking two different planes of consciousness or areas of experience. There are seven planes of consciousness beyond the gross consciousness of the physical realm and, to enter each one and cross the bridge so to speak, the help of a higher consciousness is required. As the seventh plane is the level of God-consciousness, only a Perfect Master or God-realised being can help someone to cross that final bridge and enter the seventh, and ultimate, heaven.

Baba further explained the significance of the number seven:

 

The evolution of creation has seven stages. There are seven planes and seven types of desires. All these sevens should be eradicated once and for all.

However, the number seven is significant. There are seven types of sanskaras, seven types of colors, seven types of flights of imagination and seven types of sounds. The reason all these have seven variations is that in the beginning of creation – with the start of the original whim in the Beyond, Beyond state of God – there was a clash between Matter (Akash) and Energy (Pran), and Energy’s powers were divided into seven forces.

The original sound coming out of the Creation, or Om Point, also turns into seven sounds. This higher music of the mental and subtle planes is indescribably sweet. Even if you listened to it for twenty-four hours without a break, you would not tire of it. It is enrapturing; one absolutely drowns in its melody. But remember that in the mental and subtle sphere, the sweetness of this music’s sounds are only shadows of the Original Sound.

In the gross world, the shadow of this melody is again divided into seven parts; only expert singers can express these tones and octaves. Sound is created by contact between two things. When you speak, your voice passes through seven veils; but you do not notice this because the sound comes so quickly. Your physique, a by-product of your sanskaras, determines whether your voice is sweet or harsh.

Everything is made up of seven: seven sub-divisions of the first subtle plane (the astral), seven stages of evolution, seven planes and seven heavens in involution. 

Source.