The Wayward Wind
Frank Ifield Lyrics
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A restless wind that yearns to wander
And he was born the next of kin
The next of kin to the wayward wind
In a lonely shack by a railroad track
He spent his younger days
And I guess the sound of the outward-bound
And the wayward wind is a restless wind
A restless wind that yearns to wander
And he was born the next of kin
The next of kin to the wayward wind
Oh I met him there in a border town
He vowed we'd never part
Though he tried his best to settle down
I'm now alone with a broken heart
And the wayward wind is a restless wind
A restless wind that yearns to wander
And he was born the next of kin
The next of kin to the wayward wind
The next of kin to the wayward wind
The song "The Wayward Wind" by Frank Ifield is a bittersweet tale of a restless wind that symbolizes a man with a wandering spirit. The lyrics paint a picture of a man who was born to travel and has an innate desire to wander. He grew up in a lonely shack by a railroad track which, coupled with the sound of the outward-bound, made him a slave to his wand'rin ways. The singer, who met the man in a border town, fell in love with him even though she knew he was a drifter at heart. He vowed they would never part, but in the end, his wanderlust proved too strong, and he left her alone with a broken heart.
The song is a beautiful ode to the free-spirited individuals who can't help but wander, despite the people they love. It speaks to the desire to explore the world and experience new things, even if that means leaving behind loved ones. The wayward wind represents a longing for something more, something beyond one's current life, and the yearning to follow the wind wherever it may lead.
Line by Line Meaning
The wayward wind is a restless wind
This song tells the story of a wind that is always traveling and never content to stay in one place.
A restless wind that yearns to wander
The wind is always searching for new places and experiences and cannot be tied down.
And he was born the next of kin
This wind is unique and special, with a character all its own.
The next of kin to the wayward wind
This phrase emphasizes how closely the wind is identified with the person or thing it is related to.
In a lonely shack by a railroad track
The person in the story, who is related to the wind, grew up in an isolated place by a train track.
He spent his younger days
This person is reflecting on their formative years, which were spent in the same place as the wind.
And I guess the sound of the outward-bound
The sound of trains leaving likely symbolizes the temptation and allure of exploring the wider world and leaving behind the shack behind.
Made him a slave to his wand'rin ways
The sound of the trains calling out to the wind and the person coupled with the desire for adventure has made them both unable to settle down in one place.
Oh I met him there in a border town
The person met another person in a town near a border, who was also willing to embark on constant wandering and exploration.
He vowed we'd never part
The other person in the story and the person in the border town made a promise to never separate from each other on their journey.
Though he tried his best to settle down
The person's companion, despite best efforts, could not stay in one place and continued to move with the wayward wind.
I'm now alone with a broken heart
The story ends in sadness, with the person alone and heartbroken after their companion left to continue wandering with the wayward wind.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Herbert Newman, Stanley R. Lebowsky
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@miltonmoore7687
Gogi Grant owns this
song like Frank owns
I REMEMBER YOU.
I don't like Frank's version AT ALL because it was ill-
conceived by giving a
smooth ballad a staccato drum/march
beat rythm. Otherwise, Frank may
have very well equaled or even
surpassed Gogi's version.
@ralphgomez9006
According to The Beatles book by Spitz, this song was tied with Please
Please for #1...for a short while. An interesting part was that Frank
was also dating Paul's second girlfriend, Iris Caldwell(Rory Storm's
sister and George Harrison's girlfriend at 12 & 14). Paul fell in
love with her when he saw her Can Can dancing at Stormsville. Anyway,
Paul had the crazy idea of taking Iris to Frank's performance at second
row(knowing she was two timing him) and thought Frank wouldn't notice
because of his very poor eyesight. Surprisingly, towards the end of the
performance, Frank came down the stage and dedicated a song to them
which embarrassed Paul by singing "He'll Have to Go". The weird thing
about all this is that Paul was tied with the #1 hit and a girl he loved
so much around the same time period. Great Ebooks out there. Wouldn't
mind sharing them if you have some, too. :)
@ralphgomez9006
According to The Beatles book by Spitz, this song was tied with Please
Please for #1...for a short while. An interesting part was that Frank
was also dating Paul's second girlfriend, Iris Caldwell(Rory Storm's
sister and George Harrison's girlfriend at 12 & 14). Paul fell in
love with her when he saw her Can Can dancing at Stormsville. Anyway,
Paul had the crazy idea of taking Iris to Frank's performance at second
row(knowing she was two timing him) and thought Frank wouldn't notice
because of his very poor eyesight. Surprisingly, towards the end of the
performance, Frank came down the stage and dedicated a song to them
which embarrassed Paul by singing "He'll Have to Go". The weird thing
about all this is that Paul was tied with the #1 hit and a girl he loved
so much around the same time period. Great Ebooks out there. Wouldn't
mind sharing them if you have some, too. :)
@frankgoodall329
My late father played his record collection every sunday morning ( This man included) before we would sat down for our sunday roast. From Jim Reeves to Slim Whitman.My father had great taste .
@neiltomkins4713
Great song , sung by a great singer.😊
@johnchappell3042
What a voice he had love this song
@E171955
Frank could certainly belt out a good tune!
@frankiejacques
he still can
@mitunasneha5401
Another singing legend
@katecarroll4887
What a great singer need more of this from time to time,,,
@mkl62
This hit by Frank Ifield was the 116th #1 song of the Rock Era in the United Kingdom.
@tarquin4592
Whoever sings this can't touch this great version by Frank Ifield. Thanks to Frank also for flying the flag for Country music in the UK in the 60's and 70's.
@ilmarvaim5649
Sorry to disagree, but Gogi Grant's version is, imho, numero uno with Frank Ifield's version a close #2, followed by daylight. Regards.