At the time of his death, Hartford was also working on the biography of the blind fiddler Ed Haley. Hartford's album Wild Hog in the Red Bush is a collection of Haley's tunes. Hartford also provided narration for several of Ken Burns' documentaries.
Hartford was given a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame.
Hartford recorded more than 30 albums in his life, ranging across a broad spectrum of styles--from the traditional country of his early RCA recordings, to the new and experimental sound of his early newgrass recordings, to the traditional folk style to which he often returned later in his life. Hartford's albums also vary widely in formality, from the stately and orderly "Annual Waltz" to the rougher and less cut recordings that typified many of his later albums.
"Aereo-Plain" and "Morning Bugle" are often considered to be Hartford's most influential work, coming as they did at the very beginning of a period in which artists such as Hartford and the New Grass Revival, led by Sam Bush, would create a new form of country music, blending their country backgrounds with influences from another of other sources. His later years saw a number of live albums, as well as recordings that explored the repertoire of old-time folk music. He sketched the cover art for some of his mid-career albums, drawing with both hands simultaneously.
From the 1980s onwards, Hartford struggled with non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. On June 4, 2001 at Centennial Medical Center in Nashville, at age 63, he died of the disease.
Hartford is remembered as an influential and pioneering artist. Never bound by the limitations of one genre, he recorded wherever his interests led him. Performing and recording until his illness rendered him incapable of continuing, Hartford contributed a vast and unique body of work to the library of American music.
Back In The Goodle Days
John Hartford Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When we've all grown old from a-wondering how,
Oh we'll all sit down at the city dump,
And talk about the Goodle Days.
Oh you'll pass the joint and I'll pass the wine,
And anything good from a-down the line.
A lot of good things went down one time,
Back in the Goodle Days.
And the Good Old Days are past and gone.
A lot of good people have done gone on.
That's my life when I sing this song about
Back in the Goodle Days
Sometimes I get to thinkin' that we're almost done,
And there ain't nothin' left that we can figure out.
And I guess it must have seemed a lot more like that
Back in the Goodle Days,
But when ya gotta go, ya gotta go.
There's always somebody don'tcha know,
A-hangin' round a-sayin' "Well I told you so",
Back in the Goodle Days.
And the Good Old Days are past and gone.
A lot of good people have done gone on.
That's my life when I sing this song about
Back in the Goodle Days
Oh we'll all join hands and we'll gather round,
When that old guitar starts to make that sound.
A lot of good things went down downtown,
Back in the Goodle Days.
Squeezin' love with the people that we hadn't even met,
Out for anything that we could get.
Oh we did it then and we'll do it yet,
Back in the Goodle Days.
And the Good Old Days are past and gone.
A lot of good people have done gone on.
That's my life when I sing this song about
Back in the Goodle Days
In John Hartford's song Back In The Goodle Days, he paints a nostalgic picture of a time when life was simpler and the world seemed more optimistic. The song speaks of looking back and reflecting on the past, when things were good and the future was full of hope. He imagines a time 25 years in the future where people sit down at the city dump and reminisce about the Goodle Days, passing a joint and a bottle of wine, and sharing memories of when “a lot of good things went down one time”.
The song talks about how things have changed since then, with the good old days being “past and gone” and many good people no longer around. However, despite this, there is still a sense of hope and community in the lyrics. The final verse describes people coming together to make music and "squeezing love" with others they hadn't even met, reminding the listener that no matter what happens, people will continue to find ways to connect and support each other.
Overall, the lyrics of Back In The Goodle Days are a reminder of the power of nostalgia and the importance of cherishing the memories we have from the past, while also recognizing that life goes on and new memories will be made.
Line by Line Meaning
One day about twenty-five years from now,
At some point in the future, around 25 years from today
When we've all grown old from a-wondering how,
After we've aged and become tired from wondering
Oh we'll all sit down at the city dump,
We will convene at the dump
And talk about the Goodle Days.
We will speak about the good past days
Oh you'll pass the joint and I'll pass the wine,
You'll share cannabis and I'll share wine
And anything good from a-down the line.
And any other good things from past memories
A lot of good things went down one time,
There were many good things that happened once
Back in the Goodle Days.
In the past, during the good ole days
And the Good Old Days are past and gone.
The good old days have ended
A lot of good people have done gone on.
Many good people have passed away
That's my life when I sing this song about
This is my life, as I sing this song concerning
Back in the Goodle Days
The past or the good ole days
Sometimes I get to thinkin' that we're almost done,
At times, I believe we are nearly finished
And there ain't nothin' left that we can figure out.
And there is nothing else that we can solve
And I guess it must have seemed a lot more like that
I suppose it appeared more so like that
Back in the Goodle Days,
In the past or the good ole days
But when ya gotta go, ya gotta go.
When you have to leave, you must go
There's always somebody don'tcha know,
There is always someone, don't you know
A-hangin' round a-sayin' "Well I told you so",
Lingering and saying "I warned you"
Back in the Goodle Days.
In the past, during the good ole days
Oh we'll all join hands and we'll gather round,
We will hold hands and assemble around
When that old guitar starts to make that sound.
When that old guitar starts playing
A lot of good things went down downtown,
A lot of good things happened in the downtown area
Back in the Goodle Days.
In the past, during the good ole days
Squeezin' love with the people that we hadn't even met,
Spreading love with people we hadn't even encountered
Out for anything that we could get.
Pursuing everything that we could attain
Oh we did it then and we'll do it yet,
We did it in the past, and we will do it again
Back in the Goodle Days.
In the past, during the good ole days
And the Good Old Days are past and gone.
The good old days have ended
A lot of good people have done gone on.
Many good people have passed away
That's my life when I sing this song about
This is my life, as I sing this song concerning
Back in the Goodle Days
In the past or the good ole days
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John Hartford
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind