Gordon Lightfoot Dies at 84: Five Best Songs by the Canadian Folk Icon
“For Lovin’ Me”1966A song of self-loathing directed at a former lover “I ain’t the kind to hang around/With any new love that I found/’Cause movin’ is my stock in trade”.
“Early Morning Rain” 1966This song is about longing and losing a lover, “You can’t jump a jet plane like you can a freight train.”
“Canadian Railroad Trilogy” 1967A six-and-a-half minute folk ballad about the creation of the Canadian Pacific Railway. “I stayed up all night working on it, right up until nine or ten in the morning.”
“Did She Mention My Name” 1968The narrator is catching up with a friend he has not seen in years, and asks the question that’s haunting him. “And by the way, did she mention my name?” “If You See Her, Say Hello.”
“Sundown” 1974One of the most beautiful songs about infidelity ever written, “Getting lost in her lovin’ is your first mistake, you can almost smell the night air rustling the folds of her satin dress.”