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

geodeticman.5 · 07-29-2008, 07:12 AM

quick thought - RM - I know what I forgot to mention about Cherokee Bend.. Gord said in concert once that the song was loosely based on the book "The Light in the Forest" - I think the author was Hal Boorland. (of Deliverance notoriety too i think)..

In any event it was in fact about a Native American boy who grew up in traditional "primitive" wiki-up setting, then wound up homeless and taken in by a man I recall being named Red (versus "Jim" in the song), a rodeo cowboy... And the boy learns to ride rodeo, and in the end...runs back in the woods as a young grown man, disenchanted, sheds his white mans clothing, and returns to his arboreal home.... I was assigned to read it about 8th or 9th grade.... good book. Any age. moderately close parallels to the song.
- geo steve

07-29-2008, 07:12 AM	#19
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 quick thought - RM - I know what I forgot to mention about Cherokee Bend.. Gord said in concert once that the song was loosely based on the book "The Light in the Forest" - I think the author was Hal Boorland. (of Deliverance notoriety too i think).. In any event it was in fact about a Native American boy who grew up in traditional "primitive" wiki-up setting, then wound up homeless and taken in by a man I recall being named Red (versus "Jim" in the song), a rodeo cowboy... And the boy learns to ride rodeo, and in the end...runs back in the woods as a young grown man, disenchanted, sheds his white mans clothing, and returns to his arboreal home.... I was assigned to read it about 8th or 9th grade.... good book. Any age. moderately close parallels to the song. - geo steve