The passing of Gordon Lightfoot yesterday at the age of 84 evokes a stream of nostalgic consciousness. The following is an old post dating back to more than ten years ago. I wrote it after visiting Unionville in Ontario; the profusion of cattails by the pond stirred up memories of listening to Lightfoot’s song. As a tribute to the Canadian music legend, I’m reposting it here.
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Took a short trip to Ontario last week and came home overwhelmed with nostalgia. It all started when I visited the town of Unionville and saw these, crowds and crowds of cattails growing profusely at the pond, the fields, and by the footbridge:
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For some inexplicable reasons, I’m much fond of cattails. The first time I learned about them was from listening to the song by Gordon Lightfoot… before I’d actually seen one.
Some time in the 70’s, for many afternoons I sat in the art room of a high school somewhere in Alberta, working on some art project, but mostly doing nothing at all while listening to Gordon Lightfoot. Mr. Hannington held a laissez faire art class… we could do just about anything, or nothing. Usually, there would only be three or four of us in the room. We would just sit around, chat, daydream, and immerse in the voice of Gordon Lightfoot on the radio.
I didn’t turn out to be an artist, while one of us did. But I’ve remained partial to cattails, mesmerized by the song and the singer. Those Lightfoot afternoons in the art room emerged from the depth of hazy memories, the lyrics were the soft winds caressing naked limbs as I walked in this natural reserve in Unionville.
Pussywillows, cattails, soft winds and roses
Rainpools in the woodland, water to my knees
Shivering, quivering, the warm breath of spring
Pussywillows, cat-tails, soft winds and roses
Catbirds and cornfields, daydreams together
Riding on the roadside the dust gets in your eyes
Reveling, disheveling the summer nights can bring
Pussywillows, cattails, soft winds and roses
Slanted rays and colored days, stark blue horizons
Naked limbs and wheat bins, hazy afternoons
Voicing, rejoicing the wine cups do bring
Pussywillows, cattails, soft winds and roses
Harsh nights and candlelights, woodfires a blazin’
Soft lips and fingertips resting in my soul
Treasuring, remembering, the promise of spring
Pussywillows, cattails, soft winds and roses
(To my artist friend CD: Keep the fire burning.)
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Some of you had left comments in that old post. If you’re interested to know what you had said, click on the link to find out.
Ripple Effects 
What a lovely remembrance. I saw Gordon Lightfoot in performance here back around 1995. He gave a good concert. The DJs I knew always said that “Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” was their “go to the bathroom” song because it was long (McArthur Park was the other!).
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LOL! Well, I didn’t have the pleasure of attending a GL concert. Just on the radio, and often, in that art room. 🙂
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Thanks so much for posting —or rather reposting—this, Arti. So many of my own youthful memories are tied to Gordon Lightfoot, Ian and Sylvia, and Joanie Mitchell. Your post and your always stunning photography sent me back to halcyon days of my late teens and twenties. I love that so many of us from different countries and different backgrounds share similar experiences through the music of our youth.
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Much appreciate your comment, Jay. Yes, that high school art room with the radio on and we just sat and chat and listened to Gordon Lightfoot was my intro. to Canada. 🙂 I was a new arrival starting my high school years. Another song on the pop chart at that time was ‘If You Could Read My Mind”.
Just recently I watched the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize Awards honoring Joni Mitchell and yes, that’s another Canadian icon. Her songs I carry on my phone playlist. BTW, she was in Calgary for a while attending art school here.
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Is the home team still on fire, do they still win all their games; and by the way, did she mention my name. So simple, yet tugs at my heart whenever I hear the song (Did She Mention My Name) and especially this line. Thanks for the great article, Arti.
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You’re right… lyrics so simple yet with that voice just tug at the heartstrings. “Treasuring, remembering, the promise of spring
Pussywillows, cattails, soft winds and roses.”
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I am glad the creator gave us Gordy. He blessed us with lyrics like these:
There was a time in this fair land when the railroad did not run
When the wild majestic mountains stood alone against the sun
Long before the white man and long before the wheel
When the green dark forest was too silent to be real
Sorry, I can go on and on and on. It’s sad day.
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What a lovely post — to be sung to by Gordon Lightfoot , “pussywillows, cattails, soft winds and roses.”
A beautiful voice — so soft and gentle.
My generation had such lovely music. Thank you Arti.
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Thanks for your ripples, Heather. Just recently I watched on PBS another Canadian icon being honoured, Joni Mitchell, receiving the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize. That stirred up lots of memories too.
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Joni (“take paradise and put up a Parking lot”) is also an amazing Canadian painter!
Arti, the music still plays in my head from those days. So beautiful.
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I was saddened to hear of Lightfoot’s passing today. “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” is a true classic, one that perfectly evokes the timeless feel of an old sea shanty. I’m glad you have such charming memories of enjoying his music, as so many Canadians do!
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Thanks for leaving your thoughts. Yes, we’ve lost a national treasure.
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Oh, this is the first I’ve heard of Gordon Lightfoot passing. I loved his music. I loved the days when his songs were so frequently on the radio. I love your tribute to him.
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Do click on the YouTube video to listen to this song, one of my favourite of his. The melody matches the lyrics so well especially for the words with three syllables, treasuring, revelling …
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I hadn’t heard the news until I opened your post, and I was surprised that I’d never heard the song you included here. I bought his first album (Lightfoot!, 1966) when I was in college, and two of my favorites among his songs are on it. “River of Darkness” is one, but in a forced choice it would be “Steel Rail Blues.” I was so happy to find this early live performance of that one — no studio musicians or fancy mixing, just a man, a voice, and a guitar.
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You mean Ribbon of Darkness Over Me? And you know what, I haven’t heard of Steel Rail Blues. I guess I started listening to him during the 70’s when I arrived to this new land, a land so vast that songwriters like GL had helped me to come to terms and adapt. And you’re absolutely right, simply a man, a voice, and a guitar. And what a voice.
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Yes — “Ribbon of Darkness.” That’s not a typo — that was what a friend calls a “thinko”!
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You focused on my favourite song…but there are so many great songs. He was a poet painting images of Canada for all of us. RIP Gordon.
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