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.
Early Morning Rain
Gordon Lightfoot Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With a dollar in my hand
With an aching in my heart
And my pockets full of sand
I'm a long way from home
And I missed my loved one so
In the early morning rain
With no place to go
Out on runway number nine
Big 707 set to go
But I'm stuck here in the grass
Where the cold wind blows
Now the liquor tasted good
And all the women all were fast
Well, there she goes my friend
Well, she's rolling down at last
Hear the mighty engines roar
See the silver bird on high
She's away and westward bound
Far above the clouds she'll fly
Where the morning rain don't fall
And the sun always shines
She'll be flying over my home
In about three hours time
This old airport's got me down
It's no earthly good to me
'Cause I'm stuck here on the ground
As cold and drunk as I can be
You can't jump a jet plane
Like you can a freight train
So I best be on my way
In the early morning rain
You can't jump a jet plane
Like you can a freight train
So I best be on my way
In the early morning rain
The lyrics to Gordon Lightfoot's song "Early Mornin' Rain" describe a man who is stranded at a small airport, possibly due to a cancelled flight or lack of funds to purchase a ticket. He is feeling lonely and homesick, with nothing but a dollar in his hand and a heavy heart. He describes the airport as "no damn good" and mentions feeling cold and drunk, indicating that he has been there for some time. He watches a big Boeing 707 take off, wishing he was on it and heading home. He acknowledges that he can't jump a jet plane like a freight train, meaning there is no easy way for him to leave the airport and continue his journey. He resignedly accepts that he best be on his way in the early morning rain.
The song is a poignant reflection on loneliness, isolation, and the human yearning for home and connection. The singer is caught in a liminal space between two places, unable to move forward or backward, and feeling a deep sense of loss and disorientation. The use of imagery, such as the comparison of the airport to a desolate wasteland, and the description of the roaring engines and silver wings of the departing plane create a sense of isolation and finality that adds to the emotional weight of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
In the early mornin' rain
The singer finds himself in a difficult situation and is struggling with disappointment and sadness in the early morning.
With a dollar in my hand
The singer is broke and has very little money in his possession.
With an aching in my heart
The singer is in emotional pain and his heart is heavy with sadness and longing.
And my pockets full of sand
The singer's pockets are empty; he doesn't have any cash or valuables with him.
I'm a long ways from home
The singer is far away from the place where he feels comfortable and safe.
And I missed my loved one so
The singer is thinking about someone special who he loves and is unable to be with in the present moment.
With no place to go
The singer doesn't have a clear direction in his life and feels lost and alone.
Out on runway number nine
The singer is observing an airplane that is preparing to take off from the airport.
Big seven o seven set to go
The airplane is very large and the singer identifies it as a Boeing 707 model.
Well I'm stuck here on the grass
The singer is not able to travel on the airplane and is forced to remain on the ground.
Where the pavement never grows
The singer is located in an area of the airport that is not paved.
Where the liquor tasted good
The singer has fond memories of drinking alcohol in this place in the past.
And all the women all were fast
The singer remembers the women in this place as being promiscuous and eager for romantic attention.
There, there she goes my friend
The airplane has taken off and is leaving the airport.
She's rolling down at last
The airplane is leaving the ground and taking off into the sky.
Hear the mighty engines roar
The singer hears the loud, powerful sound of the airplane's engines as it takes off.
See the silver wing on high
The singer observes the airplane's shiny, metallic wing as it climbs into the sky.
She's away and westward bound
The airplane is heading in a westerly direction and is flying far away from the singer.
For above the clouds she'll fly
The airplane is flying above the clouds, where it will be very difficult for the singer to see it.
Where the mornin' rain don't fall
The singer imagines a place where it is always sunny and never rains in the morning.
And the sun always shines
In this imaginary place, the sun is always shining and the weather is always pleasant.
She'll be flying over my home
The singer realizes that the airplane will be flying over the place where he is from.
In about three hours time
The singer is estimating when the airplane will pass over his home.
This ol' airport's got me down
The singer is unhappy and frustrated with the airport and feels like it is bringing him down.
It's no damn good to me
The singer sees no value in the airport and feels like it is not serving his needs or desires.
And I'm stuck here on the ground
The singer is not able to travel on the airplane and is forced to remain on the ground.
As cold and drunk as I can be
The singer is feeling very cold due to the early morning weather and is also intoxicated from drinking alcohol earlier.
Can't jump a jet plane
The singer realizes that he cannot simply jump on a plane and travel wherever he wants to go.
Like you can a freight train
The singer wishes he could travel by freight train, which would provide him with more freedom and flexibility than air travel.
So I best be on my way
The singer decides that it is time for him to leave the airport and continue his journey elsewhere.
In the early mornin' rain
The singer is still feeling sad and disappointed as he departs from the airport in the early morning.
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.