Gordon Lightfoot Forums - View Single Post - Gord's lyrics that mention (or for) children

geodeticman.5 · 07-29-2008, 06:50 AM

Yes ! all excellent examples ! thank you.....this one is fun now

RM - Your observation in Cherokee Bend is interesting (subliminal man says " you cheatin' sidewinder...ptttt-ding into the brass spitoon sound in the saloon) LOL . That song had occurred to me when I posted the thread, but I did not realize the frequency of the boy being mentioned...now that I think about it, the boy IS the protagonist of the "story" song,I'd say.

RM - as long as you've cheated lol (others - please do not COPY his supreme baddness LOL) - I'd challenge you to something interesting. As long as you've opened Pandora's box in searching.... why not do a tally of the sum total aggregate of songs found containing any of the fair words outlined in an advanced search multiple tags- and I'll betcha, it will be almost as frequent as Gord's usage of the word "sea" or ocean". I'll bet you return........mmm..say ....'bout 90 or so, just a "S.W.A.G.". - 90 on the children and etc. - except that might miss the rare case - (is there one?) of a song written FOR a child, or children, that does not contain any of the key words. As it has been cited - Fine AS Fine Can Be I believe does NOT have the key words at all.

Pony Man - I am sure it does - good example of written FOR Children as I understand it. Did you guys know a lady in Boulder, Colorado "Susan Polis Schultz" (sp?) wrote a childrens BOOK from the song - called "The Pony Man" ? If I remember right, it was done with Gordon's assistance. She has done poem-based "mood" booklets for Blue Mountain Arts in Gunbarrel, Colo. as I recall for years. Many cards, booklets of poems, and posters containing many of Gord's songs, lyrics in little bits and pieces commonly, some converted to poem by minor editing when necessary.

I'm surprised these have not been collectables for Gord fans.... I have not really thought about it. I wonder if any other Gordon song has been written concurrently as a poem with modified or extended lyrics (by Gord) other than the two that come to mind - Don Quixote LP, on the back - cover art, there is a modified version of the song in prose, with inclusion of the author of the book in the prose: Don Miguel de Cervantes (DQ - professor - correct me in my Spanish there if I am wrong please) by memory, and the other I can think of is the extended prose of "Summertime Dream" similarly on the back of the LP, where he takes considerable departure from the song lyrics notably by adding a bunch of job names.i.e. Dairy Truck Drivers, Linemen, Loggers, mechanics, etc. in a prayer of sorts for Canadians in springtime longing for the last of the drifts of snow to be cut down to size.... where summer glances should not be cast lightly before the long winter - something like that, fills the LP back. OK I am totally off thread. And I started it. What the heck. LOLOL

Scott Mac - very thoughtfully put.

NightinGale & Patti - yep yep good ones

814scenic - Lazy Morning - mmmmm yes yer right ! "I'll think about Monday when Monday comes,,,,my SON..." - coffee's in the kitchen , woman on (the run ??)

Auburn - wow yes many

jj - both - yes - and strong food for thought on war and children not mixing yes.....

I HAVE AN "OBSCURE" ONE - "Patriot's Dream" how could she tell those children, that their father was shot down..... so she took them both aside that day, and she told them one by one...." paraphrasing wow..... strong stuff.. - I remember one of RM'S threads of Rolling Stone reviews - that of DQ - mentioned one thing about Patriot's Dream - it was "ambitious" I think he [R.S. AUTHOR] said.

PS KEEP EM COMING - ALL COOL EXAMPLES GIVEN. RM - i'd really be curious what the total of an advanced query with all the tag words word turn up in qty......

~geo steve you guys are real good therapy - send me your bill !

07-29-2008, 06:50 AM	#18
geodeticman.5 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Eastern Slope urban corridor, Colo. USA Posts: 1,007	Re: Gord's lyrics that mention (or for) children Yes ! all excellent examples ! thank you.....this one is fun now RM - Your observation in Cherokee Bend is interesting (subliminal man says " you cheatin' sidewinder...ptttt-ding into the brass spitoon sound in the saloon) LOL . That song had occurred to me when I posted the thread, but I did not realize the frequency of the boy being mentioned...now that I think about it, the boy IS the protagonist of the "story" song,I'd say. RM - as long as you've cheated lol (others - please do not COPY his supreme baddness LOL) - I'd challenge you to something interesting. As long as you've opened Pandora's box in searching.... why not do a tally of the sum total aggregate of songs found containing any of the fair words outlined in an advanced search multiple tags- and I'll betcha, it will be almost as frequent as Gord's usage of the word "sea" or ocean". I'll bet you return........mmm..say ....'bout 90 or so, just a "S.W.A.G.". - 90 on the children and etc. - except that might miss the rare case - (is there one?) of a song written FOR a child, or children, that does not contain any of the key words. As it has been cited - Fine AS Fine Can Be I believe does NOT have the key words at all. Pony Man - I am sure it does - good example of written FOR Children as I understand it. Did you guys know a lady in Boulder, Colorado "Susan Polis Schultz" (sp?) wrote a childrens BOOK from the song - called "The Pony Man" ? If I remember right, it was done with Gordon's assistance. She has done poem-based "mood" booklets for Blue Mountain Arts in Gunbarrel, Colo. as I recall for years. Many cards, booklets of poems, and posters containing many of Gord's songs, lyrics in little bits and pieces commonly, some converted to poem by minor editing when necessary. I'm surprised these have not been collectables for Gord fans.... I have not really thought about it. I wonder if any other Gordon song has been written concurrently as a poem with modified or extended lyrics (by Gord) other than the two that come to mind - Don Quixote LP, on the back - cover art, there is a modified version of the song in prose, with inclusion of the author of the book in the prose: Don Miguel de Cervantes (DQ - professor - correct me in my Spanish there if I am wrong please) by memory, and the other I can think of is the extended prose of "Summertime Dream" similarly on the back of the LP, where he takes considerable departure from the song lyrics notably by adding a bunch of job names.i.e. Dairy Truck Drivers, Linemen, Loggers, mechanics, etc. in a prayer of sorts for Canadians in springtime longing for the last of the drifts of snow to be cut down to size.... where summer glances should not be cast lightly before the long winter - something like that, fills the LP back. OK I am totally off thread. And I started it. What the heck. LOLOL Scott Mac - very thoughtfully put. NightinGale & Patti - yep yep good ones 814scenic - Lazy Morning - mmmmm yes yer right ! "I'll think about Monday when Monday comes,,,,my SON..." - coffee's in the kitchen , woman on (the run ??) Auburn - wow yes many jj - both - yes - and strong food for thought on war and children not mixing yes..... I HAVE AN "OBSCURE" ONE - "Patriot's Dream" how could she tell those children, that their father was shot down..... so she took them both aside that day, and she told them one by one...." paraphrasing wow..... strong stuff.. - I remember one of RM'S threads of Rolling Stone reviews - that of DQ - mentioned one thing about Patriot's Dream - it was "ambitious" I think he [R.S. AUTHOR] said. PS KEEP EM COMING - ALL COOL EXAMPLES GIVEN. RM - i'd really be curious what the total of an advanced query with all the tag words word turn up in qty...... ~geo steve you guys are real good therapy - send me your bill !