Restless at Live8

[Dan O'Malley]

Great to see Gord's performance at Live8. But did anyone notice a slight change of lyric during "Restless"? Instead of "every quiet dancer who might be a special guest", Gord appeared to sing "every quiet dancer who might be a second guess". Nothing earth shattering i guess! but I wonder if this was deliberate, or maybe my ears are playing up! Incidentally, when watching this, theres a little icon bottom right to watch full screen, in case no one noticed!

[Kenyon]

Speaking of Restless, I've been listening to this song quite a bit recently, and I have to say, that this is quite possibly the best song ever written. By anyone. Period.

[charlene]

Kenyon - It's right up there for sure!
I'll miss you this weekend...
Char

[charlene]

I heard second guest not guess...
Char

[mnmouse]

Ditto on "second guest".

This song is one that really reaches in and grabs me (or should I say, "it pulls me from within"?) Being a long time lover of the north country that I call home, it voices those feelings that arrive every year in late fall. My favorite lines:

"In the quietude of winter you can hear the wild geese cry
And I will always love that sound until the day I die"

There's nothing like the call of geese flying high and fast on their way south, and nothing like the feelings they evoke.

Sharron

[charlene]

i get those darned geese flying over my place a couple of times a day every day of the year!
lol
they never leave!
sometimes there are 20-30 "V" formations with 30 or more geese in each one. they fly about 30 feet over the house and you can't hear yourself think.
lol
thankfully they don't poop and fly like seagulls....
i'm in whitby which is on the North shore of lake ontario-30 minues east of toronto, a far cry from north ontario where i mostly heard the loons on the lakes outside of timmins, ontario.

[AnneOK]

"Second guest" here too.

I just watched the clip again, and to me it sounds like the audience was clapping along throughout the first verse. Did anybody else notice that? I would never have pegged "Restless" as a song that people would think to clap along with, but in a way it is kind of sweet that the audience wanted to join in. (If that is what indeed was happening!)

I've got to echo the praise in this thread for the song itself. Like Sharron/Mouse, it really catches me. For the time being, I'm transplanted away from my beloved northcountry, and the lyrics and the quiet manner in which they are played take me right back home to my woods.

The beauty of the entire song makes me shiver, but particularly:

"We will be returning to the things that we love/do best"

and

"I can hear the restless yearning of those geese as off they roam"

Time to stop. I'm getting "home"sick.

Great song!

[charlene]

When Lisa and I watched it live on the tv we were surprised at the crowd clapping along. Lisa even said it was an odd song to have a clap-along!
But it was wonderful to hear the roar when the crowd recognized IYCRMM and even cheered during some parts. They were very respectful and seemed genuinely thrilled to hear Lightfoot singing.

[Sheryl]

Yes, Gord messed up on the lyrics. It was an accident. Hey, it happens. Hkusam and I also noticed that Gord "conveniently" left out the phrase where he rhapsodizes over the women of the world he's "had" --

[Sydney Steve]

Hkusam and I also noticed that Gord "conveniently" left out the phrase where he rhapsodizes over the women of the world he's "had" -- [/QB][/QUOTE]


Sheryl & Hkusam,

Thanks for spotting Gord's deliberate omission. You have managed to unearth something I could never find. Something I have in common with the great man.
I also don't mention the women of the world I have "had".
This is partly because to name them would suggest a lack of morality on my part,( and may appear to be boasting), - but mainly in my case because there weren't any ...

[BILLW]

Originally posted by Sheryl:
Yes, Gord messed up on the lyrics. It was an accident. Hey, it happens. Hkusam and I also noticed that Gord "conveniently" left out the phrase where he rhapsodizes over the women of the world he's "had" --

Want to bet that it's right back where it belongs when he's back to preaching to the choir ? LOL

Bill

[Borderstone]

You know you could take that "new" lyric as a way of reffering to how some people in this life "get swept to the side" for "more important issues". Like a war or space exploration or other wastes of tax dollars.

The dancers could be the poor,the one's who dare speak out about real issues,people who just want their God-given rights as well as their civil rights. The Govt. (and sometimes people too) second guess the importance of others wants or needs in this world. I think,even though a possible goof,it makes just as strong a statement.

[mnmouse]

Borderstone, I wholeheartedly agree with you. I actually didn't think of it as a goof, I thought it fit perfectly, and perhaps Gordon intended it to go that way. Especially in view of the event in which he was singing. You did a good job putting my thoughts into words.

Mouse

[Sheryl]

Borderstone, I think I'm overtired right now, but, I didn't get your point -- I'm sorry! After reading Miss Mouse's point, I just want to add that although I made my post while smirking, I completely agree that his omission was deliberate. After all, it really wasn't that kind of show.... inappropriate and all.

[Minstrel Man]

I love this song a lot too. But I thought I'd just point out that Gord often "messes up" the lyrics in this song. I've got a number of live recordings where he always is messing around with the following lines:

Of an old engine flyin' down a road that's ironcast

Of an old schooner rovin' 'neath a sky that's ironclad

Of a cold diesel rollin' down a road that's built to last

Of an old schooner flyin' down a sky that's overcast


I often play this song on my guitar, and I also have trouble ordering these lines properly. I guess they are so similar but different that it gets difficult to keep them straight. I don't have time to go back and look at the live 8 recording right now, but I wouldn't be suprised if he mixed up the order in that performance as well.

[random7]

This whole cd is quite possibly my favorite one of his. Every song is well done and souldful. The lyrics are from a master of the craft at his best.