Sweet Guinevere

[boomergirl]

This song from the excellent, and (IMHO) tension-filled, recording Endless Wire has been growing on me...there are the lines about an explosion, and 'dad's in the mine'. Is that a miner's term that the dad was killed in the mine?

[seahawk]

This song from the excellent, and (IMHO) tension-filled, recording Endless Wire has been growing on me...there are the lines about an explosion, and 'dad's in the mine'. Is that a miner's term that the dad was killed in the mine?

[james hill]

seahawk

i don't think i can shed any new light on your mine question but i would hazard a guess that dad's situation in the mine is not a good one. then again, GL is an intelligent songwriter & isn't prone to writing obvious tunes. "SG" is , to me anyway, Lightfoot writing a serious C & W song that wouldn't have been out of place on the Coal Miner's Daughter soundtrack.
While we're on the subject, Endless Wire is one of my fave Gord albums. Aptly titled, the whole record is bristling with electricity, most notably "HHR", "SIDM", & the majestic re-recording of "TCIS".
critics be dammed, it's a wonderful album!

james hill

[boomergirl]

Well said, James...Endless Wire seems like a 'divorce-record', filled with alot of angst; like Clapton's Layla. What's funny is Gord is always singing about the women in his life leaving him; I don't know, but it seems like it would be the other way around most times. He doesn't seem like he'd be a 'high-maintenance' person like a Mick Jagger or Warren Zevon. Anyway, back to Sweet Guinevere...maybe I'm looking too closely at this song, but there are some moments where I think the mother and Guinevere are the same person!

[seahawk]

Well said, James...Endless Wire seems like a 'divorce-record', filled with alot of angst; like Clapton's Layla. What's funny is Gord is always singing about the women in his life leaving him; I don't know, but it seems like it would be the other way around most times. He doesn't seem like he'd be a 'high-maintenance' person like a Mick Jagger or Warren Zevon. Anyway, back to Sweet Guinevere...maybe I'm looking too closely at this song, but there are some moments where I think the mother and Guinevere are the same person!

[james hill]

hi seahawk,

i could go on forever about Zevon.just a brilliant songwriter! but going back to EW, you're right about it being a 'divorce record'. listen to the jealousy, infidelity & heartbreak that abounds in "TCIS", "If Children Had Wings", & my favourite "Dreamland". these emotions aren't limited to just this album, no-one writes an unrequited love song better than Lightfoot. his ability to take emotions bordering on hatred & turning them into beautiful melodies is unmatched. hatred is a strong word, but i'm sure we've all had at least one relationship that went sour, leaving us with feelings towards that person that could hardly be called fondness!
anyway, Gord is much more economical with words than i'll ever be, so i'll sign off for now. take care

James Hill

[Borderstone]

Not just in response to Sweet Guenevire but the whole LP as well. Just about all of the songs in the past few years have grown on me as well.

When I finally did listen to these songs enough times,they really weren't so bad.
Sweet Guenevire is a "bittersweet" song,"ICHWings" I loved instantly,"Songs the Minstrel Sang" was good once I realized it wasn't a sequel to "The Minstrel of The Dawn".

The title track is cool,Daylight Katy is quite pleasant,"Sometimes I Don't Mind and Hangdog Hotel Room" are neat little upbeat songs. The other 4 are pretty good too,although they don't stand out as much for me as the others do.

Last thing,I like the line in Guenevire about "Pittsburgh,PA!" Been me,later!:coo:

I always thought Guinevere was a coal miner's daughter whose father died in an explosion in the mine and his body was not recovered, and her mother says to her "dear daughter I pray..."
(I used to be superiorsings but someone else must be using that name so I added the 1)

I always thought Guinevere was a coal miner's daughter whose father died in an explosion in the mine and his body was not recovered, and her mother says to her "dear daughter I pray..."
(I used to be superiorsings but someone else must be using that name so I added the 1)

[johnfowles]

quote:Originally posted by superiorsings1:
I always thought Guinevere was a coal miner's daughter whose father died in an explosion in the mine and his body was not recovered, and her mother says to her "dear daughter I pray..."
(I used to be superiorsings but someone else must be using that name so I added the 1)
There was a review of Endless Wire the album in Playboy reproduced by wayne francis in a Newsgroup posting at:- http://groups-beta.google.com/group/...b7845ce2c7aa19 which includes
"Sweet Guinevere is a tragic tale told in elliptical style, as if
Lightfoot wanted to conceal the meaning"
Whilst replying I have just found some notes that I made from the May 1981 Royal Albert Hall,London concert.
Gord introduced the song Endless Wire by saying something like (presumably in reference to the Golden Goose)
"I had a sailboat that I sold to a guy in Germany who was going to make a movie in a Norwegian fjord...I had to order 5000 feet of electrical wiring
John Fowles
What do you call a song sung in an automobile?
A cartoon.

[johnfowles]

quote:Originally posted by superiorsings1:
I always thought Guinevere was a coal miner's daughter whose father died in an explosion in the mine and his body was not recovered, and her mother says to her "dear daughter I pray..."
(I used to be superiorsings but someone else must be using that name so I added the 1)
There was a review of Endless Wire the album in Playboy reproduced by wayne francis in a Newsgroup posting at:- http://groups-beta.google.com/group/...b7845ce2c7aa19 which includes
"Sweet Guinevere is a tragic tale told in elliptical style, as if
Lightfoot wanted to conceal the meaning"
Whilst replying I have just found some notes that I made from the May 1981 Royal Albert Hall,London concert.
Gord introduced the song Endless Wire by saying something like (presumably in reference to the Golden Goose)
"I had a sailboat that I sold to a guy in Germany who was going to make a movie in a Norwegian fjord...I had to order 5000 feet of electrical wiring
John Fowles
What do you call a song sung in an automobile?
A cartoon.

[Bahama Star]

I really like “Sweet Guinevere”, ( and the Endless Wire Album as a whole ).

John, Bru, Gabby, it reminds me of that great movie, “ How Green Was my Valley ”.

I think they all live in a Coal Mining Town, and Dad is a Miner ( Dad’s in the Mine, refers to his place of Work, not that he’s done a “Big John” and is trapped and killed down the mine ).

Guinevere’s Grandmother is dead ( feelin’ no pain ).. or maybe not because we have the double negative… “ not feelin’ no pain “… which means she ”is” feeling pain ?.

The Mother remembers the hard times in the Town, people killed in the mine ( explosion ), and the constant pollution ( black falling rain), and wishes her daughter could find someone away from the town, to avoid the Coal Miners life, and she thinks she should because, “ she’s a bit pretty ”.

And to make this worse her “Young Brother Ernie”, has escaped the village for the big City. ( probably working in the Steel Mills or maybe he’s a milkman ..lol )

Keep Smiling Ron.

[catmanron]

I really like “Sweet Guinevere”, ( and the Endless Wire Album as a whole ).

John, Bru, Gabby, it reminds me of that great movie, “ How Green Was my Valley ”.

I think they all live in a Coal Mining Town, and Dad is a Miner ( Dad’s in the Mine, refers to his place of Work, not that he’s done a “Big John” and is trapped and killed down the mine ).

Guinevere’s Grandmother is dead ( feelin’ no pain ).. or maybe not because we have the double negative… “ not feelin’ no pain “… which means she ”is” feeling pain ?.

The Mother remembers the hard times in the Town, people killed in the mine ( explosion ), and the constant pollution ( black falling rain), and wishes her daughter could find someone away from the town, to avoid the Coal Miners life, and she thinks she should because, “ she’s a bit pretty ”.

And to make this worse her “Young Brother Ernie”, has escaped the village for the big City. ( probably working in the Steel Mills or maybe he’s a milkman ..lol )

Keep Smiling Ron.