Lightfoot's songs, including "For Lovin' Me", "Early Morning Rain", "Steel Rail Blues", "Ribbon of Darkness"—a number one hit on the U.S. country chart with Marty Robbins's cover in 1965—and "Black Day in July," about the 1967 Detroit riot, brought him wide recognition in the 1960s. Canadian chart success with his own recordings began in 1962 with the No. 3 hit "(Remember Me) I'm the One", followed by recognition and charting abroad in the 1970s. He topped the US Hot 100 or AC chart with the hits "If You Could Read My Mind" (1970), "Sundown" (1974); "Carefree Highway" (1974), "Rainy Day People" (1975), and "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" (1976), and had many other hits that appeared in the top 40.
Several of Lightfoot's albums achieved gold and multi-platinum status internationally. His songs have been recorded by renowned artists such as Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Hank Williams Jr., The Kingston Trio, Jerry Lee Lewis, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Judy Collins, Barbra Streisand, Johnny Mathis, Herb Alpert, Harry Belafonte, Sarah McLachlan, Eric Clapton, John Mellencamp, Peter, Paul and Mary, Glen Campbell, The Grateful Dead, Nico, and Olivia Newton-John.
Robbie Robertson of the Band described Lightfoot as "a national treasure". Bob Dylan, also a Lightfoot fan, called him one of his favorite songwriters and, in an often-quoted tribute, Dylan observed that when he heard a Lightfoot song he wished "it would last forever". Lightfoot was a featured musical performer at the opening ceremonies of the 1988 Winter Olympic Games in Calgary, Alberta. He received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Trent University in Spring 1979 and was made a Companion of the Order of Canada in May 2003. In November 1997, the Governor General's Performing Arts Award, Canada's highest honour in the performing arts, was bestowed on Lightfoot. On February 6, 2012, Lightfoot was presented with the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal by the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario. June of that year saw his induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. On June 6, 2015, Lightfoot received an honorary doctorate of music in his hometown of Orillia from Lakehead University.
As an individual, apart from various awards associated with his albums and singles, Gordon Lightfoot has received sixteen Juno Awards—for top folk singer in 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969,[67] 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976 and 1977, for top male vocalist in 1967, 1970, 1971, 1972 and 1973, and as composer of the year in 1972 and 1976. He has received ASCAP awards for songwriting in 1971, 1974, 1976, and 1977, and has been nominated for five Grammy Awards. In 1974 Lightfoot's song "Sundown" was named pop record of the year by the Music Operators of America. In 1980 he was named Canadian male recording artist of the decade, for his work in the 1970s.
Lightfoot was chosen as the celebrity captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs for the NHL's 75th anniversary season in 1991–1992.
Lightfoot was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1986 and the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001. He was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame in 1998. In May 2003 he was made a Companion of the Order of Canada, the country's highest civilian honour. Lightfoot is a member of the Order of Ontario, the highest honour in the province of Ontario. In 1977, he received the Vanier Award from the Canadian Jaycees. In 2007 Canada Post honoured Lightfoot and three other Canadian music artists (Anne Murray, Paul Anka, and Joni Mitchell) with postage stamps highlighting their names and images. On June 24, 2012, Lightfoot was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in a New York City ceremony, along with Bob Seger.
Between 1986 and 1988, Lightfoot's friend Ken Danby (1940–2007), the realist painter, worked on a large (60 × 48 inches) portrait of Lightfoot dressed in the white suit he wore on the cover of the album East of Midnight. The picture was backlit by the sun, creating a visually iconic image of the singer.
On June 16, 2014, Lightfoot was awarded the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award by SOCAN at the 2014 SOCAN Awards in Toronto.
On October 23, 2015, Lightfoot was honoured with a 4-metre tall bronze sculpture in his hometown of Orillia, Ontario. The sculpture, called Golden Leaves—A Tribute to Gordon Lightfoot, features Lightfoot sitting cross-legged, playing an acoustic guitar underneath an arch of golden maple leaves. Many of the leaves depict scenes from Lightfoot's 1975 greatest hits album, Gord's Gold.
In 2017, he was awarded the Gold Medal of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society
He was the subject of Martha Kehoe and Joan Tosoni's 2019 documentary film Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind.
Gordon passed away on May 1st, 2023 at the age of 84.
Better Off
Gordon Lightfoot Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Believe in all I say
Then you throw it all away
Before you close the door
Are you really any
Better off than before?
You
While I'm out here making my way
Yet, still, I walk the floor
Am I really any
Better off than before?
Things ain't never looked so rosy
Everything'll be okay
I couldn't be much better
If I tried
When I get myself to bed
With the words that never got said
Turning on the news
Are we ever any
Better off when we lose?
And we can pick and choose
You
Found the pathway to my heart
'Til the cruel world took it apart
Before I close the door
Are you really any,
Better off than before?
You
Meander in my dreams
Leave me halfway in between
So I hit the floor
Am I really any
Better off than before?
Things ain't never looked so rosy
Everything'll be alright
I couldn't be much better
If I tried
You go rambling through my mind
On a path I'm hoping I'll find
Turning on the news
Are we ever any
Better off when we lose?
And we can pick and choose
Still, I walk the floor
Are we really any
Better off than before?
Better off than before
The lyrics to Gordon Lightfoot's song "Better Off" are poignant musings on the ways in which our lives and relationships can be both complicated and uncertain. The lyrics address someone who believes in all the singer says, but then throws it all away before closing the door, leaving the singer questioning if they are any better off than before. The singer walks the floor and wonders if they are any better off, considering that things have never looked so rosy, as everything will be okay, and they couldn't be much better if they tried. The singer thinks about the relationship, and when they get to bed, they think about the words that were never said, which may have led to their current situation. They also ask if the person is better off than before, having found the pathway to the singer's heart, until the cruel world took it apart.
Line by Line Meaning
You
The person being addressed
Believe in all I say
You trust and have faith in everything I tell you
Then you throw it all away
But later, you disregard everything I said and ignore it
Before you close the door
Before you leave or end the conversation
Are you really any
The artist is questioning if the person is actually
Better off than before?
in a better state or condition than they were previously
You
The person being addressed
Go rambling through my day
You distract me and disrupt my routine or plans
While I'm out here making my way
At the same time, the artist is trying to move forward and make progress
Yet, still, I walk the floor
Despite these distractions, the artist is still pacing and worrying
Am I really any
The singer is questioning if they are actually
Better off than before?
in a better state or condition than they were previously
Things ain't never looked so rosy
The situation has never seemed as positive or optimistic as it does now
Everything'll be okay
The singer is reassuring themselves that everything will work out
I couldn't be much better
The singer is currently content with their life
If I tried
They are not actively making an effort to change anything or improve
When I get myself to bed
At the end of the day, when the artist is alone with their thoughts
With the words that never got said
The things that they wanted to express but didn't get the chance to
Turning on the news
The singer is switching on the television to watch current events
Are we ever any
The artist is questioning if we are ever actually
Better off when we lose?
in a better state or condition after suffering a loss or setback
And we can pick and choose
Despite all the uncertainties, we still have some control over our choices and decisions
You
The person being addressed
Found the pathway to my heart
You were able to connect emotionally with the artist
Til the cruel world took it apart
But something outside of both their control destroyed that connection
Before I close the door
Before the singer retreats from that emotional connection
Are you really any,
The singer is questioning if the person is actually
Better off than before?
in a better state or condition than they were previously
You
The person being addressed
Meander in my dreams
The person occupies the singer's thoughts and dreams, but in a less meaningful way now
Leave me halfway in between
They don't fully impact or engage the singer in the same way anymore
So I hit the floor
The artist is feeling lost and struggling to cope
Am I really any
The artist is questioning if they are actually
Better off than before?
in a better state or condition than they were previously
Things ain't never looked so rosy
The situation has never seemed as positive or optimistic as it does now
Everything'll be alright
The artist is reassuring themselves that everything will work out
I couldn't be much better
The singer is currently content with their life
If I tried
They are not actively making an effort to change anything or improve
You go rambling through my mind
The person occupies the singer's thoughts and memories often
On a path I'm hoping I'll find
The artist is hoping to rekindle that emotional connection, or find other paths to happiness and fulfillment
Turning on the news
The artist is switching on the television to watch current events
Are we ever any
The singer is questioning if we are ever actually
Better off when we lose?
in a better state or condition after suffering a loss or setback
And we can pick and choose
Despite all the uncertainties, we still have some control over our choices and decisions
Still, I walk the floor
Despite the various difficulties, the artist is still worrying and struggling
Are we really any
The artist is questioning if we are actually
Better off than before?
in a better state or condition than they were previously
Better off than before
The artist repeats the song's title as a final question and statement of uncertainty
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Gordon Lightfoot
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ben - Moderator
on Is There Anyone Home
We have now corrected this above
Glenn
on Is There Anyone Home
The note state that this song ("Is there anyone home?") was released in 1998 on the album "A Painter Passing Through". That is not correct, the song doesn't even appear on that album at all. The original release date was 1974 on "Sundown" album. Easily verified on Wikipedia or a hundred other websites.