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.
Miguel
Gordon Lightfoot Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Like a shadowy ghost at dawn he came and he went
Through the woodland swiftly gliding, to the young maid he came gliding
Where she'd run to meet him, by the garden wall
Oh my sweet Miguel, I will never tell
No one will ever know, what I know too well
And he'd smile and lay his head on her breast and he'd say I have no fear
'Cause I've done that before
To see my true loves smiling face
A hundred times or more
Oh my sweet Miguel she cried
I'll love you till I die
He was born to the south in Mexico they say
The child of a man who had soon gone away
But his mother loved him dearly and she would take him yearly
To the great Cathedral in St. Augustine
Oh my young Miguel, listen to the bell
Of my poverty you must never tell
And he cried himself to sleep in the night
And he vowed to make things right
So he took the gun down from the wall and he paid a call
He knew she'd understand
A lawman came to capture him
The gun jumped in his hand
Oh Miguel the mother cried
You must run son or you'll die
So the story is told of his true love cross the line
As strong as the oak and as sweet as the vine
And the child she bore him, came on the fateful mornin'
When they sent him to his final rest
Oh my sweet Miguel listen to the bell
No one will ever know, of what I know too well
Then she'd smile and lay the child on her breast
And she'd say I have no fear
I'm waiting for you to cross the border, to swim the river
'Cause you've done that before
To see your true loves smiling face
A hundred times or more
Oh my sweet Miguel she cried
I'll love you till I die
The song Miguel by Gordon Lightfoot tells the tragic tale of a man named Miguel who was born in Mexico and lived his life on the run. Miguel is described as a solitary figure, traveling alone without friends. He meets a young maid by the garden wall, and they fall deeply in love. However, their love is forbidden, and they must keep it secret. Miguel is constantly on the move to evade capture.
The chorus of the song repeats Miguel's name with the young maid professing her love for him, promising that she will never tell anyone of their love. Miguel's mother also tells him never to reveal his poverty. Eventually, Miguel is captured by the lawman, and his mother urges him to run for his life. Miguel's true love crosses the border to be with him, and they have a child together. Tragically, Miguel is killed when he is sent to his final rest.
The song is a moving and heartbreaking account of forbidden love and the consequences of poverty and injustice. Gordon Lightfoot is known for his emotive storytelling through his lyrics, and Miguel is one of his most poignant songs.
Line by Line Meaning
Never had much to say, he traveled alone with no friends
Miguel was a silent and lonesome man, who never traveled with companions
Like a shadowy ghost at dawn he came and he went
Miguel wandered around like a shadowy creature without a trail
Through the woodland swiftly gliding, to the young maid he came gliding
He walked rapidly through the forest, appeared before the young girl, and promptly left
Where she'd run to meet him, by the garden wall
She would go by the garden wall to meet him
Oh my sweet Miguel, I will never tell
The young woman loved Miguel but promised to never reveal their secrets
No one will ever know, what I know too well
The girl has experienced something that she is keeping secret
And he'd smile and lay his head on her breast and he'd say I have no fear
Miguel would snuggle his head on the girl's chest and declare he wasn't afraid
They're waiting for me to cross the border, to swim the river
The authorities are anticipating Miguel to cross the border by swimming the river
'Cause I've done that before
Miguel has done it previously i.e. crossed the border by swimming the river
To see my true loves smiling face
He wants to cross the border to meet his alleged true love
A hundred times or more
Miguel has done this on multiple occasions
Oh my sweet Miguel she cried
The girl cried out to Miguel with affection
I'll love you till I die
The young woman promised Miguel that her love for him is everlasting
He was born to the south in Mexico they say
The sources say that Miguel was born in the southern regions of Mexico
The child of a man who had soon gone away
Miguel was the child of a man who had abandoned him at a young age
But his mother loved him dearly and she would take him yearly
His mother loved him deeply and would bring him to the great Cathedral in St. Augustine yearly
To the great Cathedral in St. Augustine
He would go to the great Cathedral in St. Augustine with his mother
Oh my young Miguel, listen to the bell
Miguel's mother asked him to listen to the bell
Of my poverty you must never tell
Miguel's mother urged him to keep her financial struggles a secret
And he cried himself to sleep in the night
Miguel would cry himself to sleep at night, which was likely due to his mother's poverty
And he vowed to make things right
Miguel is determined to correct his mother's impoverished situation
So he took the gun down from the wall and he paid a call
Miguel retrieved his gun from the wall and went to meet someone
He knew she'd understand
Miguel knew his love interest would sympathize with him
A lawman came to capture him
A lawman came to capture Miguel
The gun jumped in his hand
The gun he was holding went off accidentally
Oh Miguel the mother cried
Miguel's mother cried out his name with despair
You must run son or you'll die
Miguel's mother warned him to run or be killed
So the story is told of his true love cross the line
The story tells of Miguel's love crossing the border
As strong as the oak and as sweet as the vine
His love was as strong as an oak tree and as sweet as a vine
And the child she bore him, came on the fateful mornin'
The woman bore Miguel's child on an ominous morning
When they sent him to his final rest
They laid him to his eternal rest
No one will ever know, of what I know too well
The girl will take her secrets to the grave
Then she'd smile and lay the child on her breast
The woman would smile and hold her child close to her chest
And she'd say I have no fear, I'm waiting for you to cross the border, to swim the river
The woman is unafraid and is waiting for Miguel to cross the border
'Cause you've done that before
The girl is aware that Miguel has crossed the border many times
To see your true loves smiling face, a hundred times or more
Miguel has crossed the border multiple times to see his love's face
Oh my sweet Miguel she cried, I'll love you till I die
The woman reiterates that her love for Miguel is eternal and profound
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, 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.