Gordon Lightfoot Dies at 84 (1 Viewer)

[David_B_K]

Bob Dylan always called Gordon the greatest songwriter he's ever heard. Said he never wrote a bad song. Any time someone asked Dylan about great songwriters, he always named Lightfoot as the best.

Many (most?) of the lyrics of his songs would make great poems if stripped of the also great melodies.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

Many (most?) of the lyrics of his songs would make great poems if stripped of the also great melodies.

Here's a nice tribute from Rick Beato:

Gordon Lightfoot 1938-2023 R.I.P.

On this livestream I discuss the passing of the iconic songwriter Gordon Lightfoot (1938-2023).

www.youtube.com

 

[Robert Crawford]

The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
of the big lake they called "Gitche Gumee."
The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead
when the skies of November turn gloomy.
With a load of iron ore twenty-six thousand tons more
than the Edmund Fitzgerald weighed empty,
that good ship and true was a bone to be chewed
when the "Gales of November" came early.

The ship was the pride of the American side
coming back from some mill in Wisconsin.
As the big freighters go, it was bigger than most
with a crew and good captain well seasoned,
concluding some terms with a couple of steel firms
when they left fully loaded for Cleveland.
And later that night when the ship's bell rang,
could it be the north wind they'd been feelin'?

The wind in the wires made a tattle-tale sound
and a wave broke over the railing.
And ev'ry man knew, as the captain did too
'twas the witch of November come stealin'.
The dawn came late and the breakfast had to wait
when the Gales of November came slashin'.
When afternoon came it was freezin' rain
in the face of a hurricane west wind.

When suppertime came the old cook came on deck
Sayin' "Fellas, it's too rough t'feed ya."
At seven P.M. a main hatchway caved in; he said,
(**2010 lyric change: At 7 p.m., it grew dark, it was then he said,)
"Fellas, it's bin good t'know ya!"
The captain wired in he had water comin' in
and the good ship and crew was in peril.
And later that night when 'is lights went outta sight
came the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.

Does any one know where the love of God goes
when the waves turn the minutes to hours?
The searchers all say they'd have made Whitefish Bay
if they'd put fifteen more miles behind 'er.
They might have split up or they might have capsized;
they may have broke deep and took water.
And all that remains is the faces and the names
of the wives and the sons and the daughters.

Lake Huron rolls, Superior sings
in the rooms of her ice-water mansion.
Old Michigan steams like a young man's dreams;
the islands and bays are for sportsmen.
And farther below Lake Ontario
takes in what Lake Erie can send her,
And the iron boats go as the mariners all know
with the Gales of November remembered.

In a musty old hall in Detroit they prayed,
in the "Maritime Sailors' Cathedral."
The church bell chimed 'til it rang twenty-nine times
for each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald.
The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
of the big lake they call "Gitche Gumee."
"Superior," they said, "never gives up her dead
when the gales of November come early!"

 

[Robert Crawford]

 

[Old Bones]

I saw him live three times , wish it was more

 

[uncledougie]

We watched the 2019 documentary “If You Could Read My Mind” on Amazon Prime last night. It gave a decent overview of his life and career, featured some of his great songs I hadn’t revisited in a long time. And there were numerous interviews with colleagues and contemporaries that were appreciative of his musical gifts and elevated place in modern folk/pop history. Well done.

 

[John Dirk]

 

[Jeffrey D]

Billy has said that he’s a huge fan of Lightfoot’s, and has written songs with him in mind. Billy has also said he has never met Lightfoot. Would be sad if he never did get a chance to meet him.

 

[Jaybirdr100]

Rhino just announced 4 new releases, slated for late June release, in their Quadio series. I hope one of them will be one of Gord's albums

 

[Old Bones]

A live Gordon Lightfoot album billed as his final release is set for July 14.

"At Royal Albert Hall" is an unedited recording of his performance at the venue in London in 2016.

 

[LeoA]

If anyone wants to learn more about that tragic night and the ship's history. I can't recommend this tv special more as a boatnerd that knows quite a bit about the Great Lakes shipping industry and its history. It's very well done and has been regularly rewatched by me ever since I saw it premier on tv in the mid 1990's.