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.
TATTOO
Gordon Lightfoot Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
So other than nothin' what's new
The water's still flowin' through the rose on my skin
This here tattoo is for you
The boys at the parlor downtown
Didn't waste anytime a-puttin' it down
Time has been wastin' away I can see it
Go sailin' on by as it slips through my fingers
The bow and the wave never wait for tomorrow
They just keep on rollin' as straight as an arrow, good night
Girl of my dreams you get better each day
I wish I could see you somehow
Girls that I love is there no other way
This here tattoo is for now
I'd been out drinkin' all day
I got carried away at the parlor last night
This summer rose is for you it's no wonder
I bothered to wander back into the parlor
It's red and in bloom and it's more than one color
It lives on forever for just a few dollars, good night
Whatever you think of me I'm still your friend
So baby whatever you do
Now that it's taken its permanent home
This here tattoo is for you
The boys at the parlor downtown
Didn't waste any time a-puttin' it down
Time has been wastin' away, you know time doesn't
Wait for nobody to find what they're after
It just keeps on rolling on down the deep canyons
And through the green meadows into the broad ocean, good night
Whatever you think of me I'm still your friend
So other than nothin' what's new
The water's still flowing through the rose on my skin
This here tattoo is for you
The water's still flowin through the rose on my skin
This here tattoo is for you
The song "Tattoo" by Gordon Lightfoot explores themes of memory, love, and the passage of time. The singer is getting a tattoo of a rose for someone they love, and the lyrics reflect on the transience of life and the ways that memories and feelings persist long after relationships end.
The refrain "Whatever you think of me I'm still your friend / So other than nothin' what's new / The water's still flowin' through the rose on my skin / This here tattoo is for you" suggests that despite any animosity or distance that may exist between the singer and their loved one, they still want to show that they care. The tattoo serves as a physical representation of the enduring emotional bond between them, as well as a reminder of the passage of time and how things change over the years.
The mentions of drinking and the passing of time in the lyrics could also be interpreted as a nod to the "live fast, die young" rock-and-roll ethos that was prevalent in the 1960s and 70s, when the song was released.
Line by Line Meaning
Whatever you think of me I'm still your friend
My friendship with you remains unchanged regardless of what you think of me.
So other than nothin' what's new
Is there any new information you would like to share with me apart from nothing?
The water's still flowin' through the rose on my skin
The tattoo of the rose on my skin remains unchanged and the lines are still distinct.
This here tattoo is for you
I got this permanent symbol as a tribute to you and our friendship.
The boys at the parlor downtown
The tattoo artists at the downtown parlor where I got this tattoo.
Didn't waste anytime a-puttin' it down
They worked quickly and efficiently to create this tattoo on my skin.
Time has been wastin' away I can see it
I'm aware that time is slipping away and that I need to cherish the moments I have left.
Go sailin' on by as it slips through my fingers
Time moves quickly and it's easy to let it slip away if you're not careful.
The bow and the wave never wait for tomorrow
The natural world is always moving forward and does not pause to wait for us.
They just keep on rollin' as straight as an arrow, good night
Their trajectory is straightforward and unwavering, as if they are headed towards an inevitable conclusion.
Girl of my dreams you get better each day
You are the woman of my dreams and you only seem to become more extraordinary with each passing moment.
I wish I could see you somehow
It's regrettable that I can't be with you right now.
Girls that I love is there no other way
Is there no other way for me to show how much I care for the women I love?
This here tattoo is for now
This tattoo is for the present moment, to remind me of my love for someone at this point in time.
I'd been out drinkin' all day
I had been drinking all day before I decided to go back to the tattoo parlor.
I got carried away at the parlor last night
I lost control of myself and got too caught up in the experience of getting a new tattoo at the parlor.
This summer rose is for you it's no wonder
It's no coincidence that I chose to get a tattoo of a rose in bloom as a symbol of my affection for you.
I bothered to wander back into the parlor
I made the conscious decision to return to the tattoo parlor for this specific tattoo.
It's red and in bloom and it's more than one color
The rose in the tattoo is vividly red and is composed of multiple colors.
It lives on forever for just a few dollars, good night
This tattoo will last for an indefinite amount of time, despite only costing a small sum of money.
The water's still flowing through the rose on my skin
The tattoo of the rose on my skin remains unchanged and the lines are still distinct.
This here tattoo is for you
I got this permanent symbol as a tribute to you and our friendship.
Time has been wastin' away, you know time doesn't
I'm aware that time is slipping away and it's important to make the most of what little time we have left.
Wait for nobody to find what they're after
Time does not wait for anyone to achieve their goals or pursue their desires.
It just keeps on rolling on down the deep canyons
Time moves inexorably forward and can be difficult to navigate, much like deep canyons.
And through the green meadows into the broad ocean, good night
Its course is as unpredictable as the natural world, leading us on a journey that is at once beautiful and profound.
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.