Song Lyric of the Day (Gordon Lightfoot, on the Necessity of “Rainy Day People’)

“Rainy day people always seem to know when you're feeling blue
High-stepping strutters who land in the gutters sometimes need one, too.”—Canadian folk singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot (1938-2023), “Rainy Day People,” from his Cold on the Shoulder LP (1975)
 
I came to Gordon Lightfoot secondhand, through relatives who couldn’t stop playing him. The repetition of all those songs on the turntable got a bit too much for me in my teenage years.
 
Nearly five decades later, I see these tunes differently—shining with craft and, as seen in the lyrics above, understated melancholy, sympathy, and compassion. (In a different vein, I am deeply fond of his epic “Canadian Railroad Trilogy.”) So I join now with the many music fans worldwide who mourn “Gord’s” passing.

(For a concise but extremely thoughtful consideration of how Lightfoot maintained his religious belief—despite multiple problems with his health and relationships over the years—I urge you to read Paul Asay’s post, “What Gordon Lightfoot Taught Me About Faith,” on the blog “Plugged In.”)