Gordon Lightfoot

[fox69]

"Tattoo"

"Tattoo"



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
The boys at the parlor downtown
Didn't waste anytime 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 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

 

[fox69]

"Thank You For The Promises"

"Thank You For The Promises"



Thank you for the promises we make
I know I can't complain
I think I did all right
No failures are in sight
Only now and then
I'd like to reminisce
Do you remember when
Even if we're angels we can't ask
To wander through the past
The future is our goal
The night is black as coal
If I could pay the price
I'd like to love you once
I'd love to love you twice

Thanks
We cannot say enough
The road is sometimes rough
But we can get along
The going will get tough
But we won't be afraid
Of the promises we made

Thank you for the promises you keep
When I am fast asleep
To be where we belong
Is all that I can ask
We can do it in the shade
As long as I have you
And the promises we made

Thank you for the promises we break
If you made a clean mistake
Well that's what love's about
No need to stand and shout
The truth is in your eyes
The answer lies within
No need to criticize

Thanks
For the promises at hand
The abuse that we must stand
Is often heaven sent
They may not pay the rent
You never can be sure
When promises get bent

Thank you for the promises that live
This is all that I can give
Forever in my mind
To leave the past behind
And seal it with a kiss
Forever in my soul
I will remember this

 

[fox69]

"That Same Old Obsession"

"That Same Old Obsession"



I come to this garden
I come here to rest
Early each day upon risin'
I think of my lost love
From over the sea
And sometimes I've wondered
If she thinks of me
I long to recall every kiss, every kind word
I miss her so much I could die
But the creatures of evil
Have captured her heart
And that same old obsession
Still keeps us apart

There's peace in the garden
There's peace in the air
Peace in the sound of the river
There's peace in the meadow
The sun shines like gold
And if she were with me
There'd be peace in my soul

I long to return to the place, I remember
The taste of her lips close to mine
I could do much better
If I could be strong
Come into my garden
But leave me alone

I come to this garden
I come here to rest
Just as the night comes stealin'
Someone is weeping
She's calling my name
Deep in the garden
Deep in my brain

I long to recall every kiss, every kind word
I miss her so much I could die
But the creatures of evil
Have captured her heart
And that same old obsession
Still keeps us apart
But the creatures of evil
Have captured her heart
And that same old obsession
Still keeps us apart

 

[fox69]

"The Auctioneer"

"The Auctioneer"



Hey y've all reg'stered, open the gate ‘n let ‘em out and walk ‘em ‘bout.
Ere we come a letter number twenty-nine, what're you gonna gimme for ‘er

Ah, wenta-five wunna bid me biddle, wanna five wanna five wanna five, wudja biddle on a twenty-five.

Gotta twenty-five dollar bidja-biddle on a five on the five wouldja biddle on a
thirty dollar five on a five would ya biddle on a five wouldja biddle on a thirty five.

Well there was a boy from Arkansas who wouldn't listen to his Ma
when she told him that he should go to school.
Well He'd stay away in the afternoon, take a little walk and pretty soon
you'd find him at the local auction barn.
Well, he'd stand and listen carefully until at last he began to see
how the auctioneer could talk so rapidly,
Well, he said "Oh my, it's do or die, I've got to learn that auction cry,
gonna make my mark and be an auctioneer."

Twenty-five dollar bid'ja, now, thirty dollar, thirty wudja make it thirty
bidda onna thirty dollar thirty dollar wouldja gimme thirty, wouldja gimme
thirty dollar bill? I gotta thirty dolla bidja, now, five, wouldja beedle onna
thirty five biddle on a thirty five, thirty five? Who's gonna bitta the thirty five dollar bill?

Well the time went by and he did his best and all could see he did not jest.
He practiced calling bids both night and day
till his pappy found him behind the barn just working up an awful storm
as he tried to imitate the auctioneer.
And his pop said "Son, we just can't stand to have a mediocre man
selling things at auction using our good name.
Gonna send you off to auction school and then you'll be nobody's fool
and you can take your place among the best."

Thirty five dolla bidja now forty doller forty, wouldja megga forty bidya on a
forty doller forty doller wouldja gimme forty, wouldja gimme forty dollar bill?
I gotta forty dollar bidya now, five, wouldja biddle on a forty-five, bidgel on
a forty-five, forty-five. Who's gunna bidda the forty-five dollar bill?

And from that boy that went to school there grew a man who played it cool,
he come back home a full fledged auctioneer.
And the people would come from miles around
just to hear him make that rhythmic sound
that filled their hearts with such a happy cheer.
And his fame spread out from shore to shore, he'd all that he could do and more,
he had to buy a plane to get around.
Well, now he's the best in all the land, let's pause and give that man a
hand ‘cause he's the best of all the auctioneers

Forty-five dollar bidja now, fifty dollar fifty wouldja make it fifty biddle
onna fifty dolla fifty dolla. Wouldja gimme fifty, wouldja gimme fifty dolla
bill? I gotta fifty dolla bidja now, five, wouldja biddle onna fifty-five,
biddle onna fifty-five, fifty-five. Who's gonna bitta the fifty five dollar bill?

Well I sold that hoss for fifty dollar bill!

 

[fox69]

"The Circle Is Small"

"The Circle Is Small"



It's alright for some, but not alright for me
When the one that I'm lovin' slips around
You think it's fine to do things I cannot see
And you're doin' it to me
Baby, can't you see that I know how it is

I can see it in your eyes and feel it in the way you kiss my lips
I can hear it in your voice whenever we are talking like this
I can see what you believe in when his name is mentioned and I die
I can watch the way you walk, the way you talk, the way you close your eyes

It's alright for some, but not alright to be
Where the one that I'm lovin' can't be found
The city where we live might be quite large
But the circle is small
Why not tell us all, and then all of us will know

I can see it in your eyes and feel it in the way you kiss my lips
I can hear it in your voice whenever we are talking like this
I can see what you believe in when his name is mentioned and I die
I can watch the way you walk, the way you talk, the way you close your eyes

It's alright to leave, but not alright to lie
When you come home and you can't say where you've been
You think it's fine to do things I cannot see
And you're doin' it to me
Baby, can't you see, that I know how it is

I can see it in your eyes and feel it in the way you kiss my lips
I can hear it in your voice whenever we are talking like this
I can see what you believe in when his name is mentioned and I die
I can watch the way you walk, the way you talk, the way you close your eyes

I can see it in your eyes and feel it in the way you kiss my lips
I can hear it in your voice whenever we are talking like this
I can see what you believe in when his name is mentioned and I die
I can watch the way you walk, the way you talk, the way you close your eyes

 

[fox69]

"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face"

"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face"



The first time ever I saw your face
I thought the sun rose in your eyes
And the moon and the stars were the gifts you gave
To the dark and the empty skies my love
To the dark and the empty skies
The first time ever I kissed your mouth
I felt the earth turn in my hand
Like the trembling heart of a captive bird
That was there at my command my love
That was there at my command

The first time ever I lay with you
And felt your heart beat close to mine
I thought our joy would fill the earth
And would last 'till the end of time my love
And would last 'till the end of time

The first time ever I saw your face
I thought the sun rose in your eyes
And the moon and the stars were the gifts you gave
To the dark and the empty skies my love
To the dark and the empty skies

 

[fox69]

"The Gypsy"

"The Gypsy"



Step inside my tent, said she, I'd like to read you palm
Leave the dollar in the jar, this won't take very long
Leave the circus noise behind, close your eyes, relax your mind
I'll tell you if you should quit now or if you should go on
Then I said, now what do ya see
She said, deedlee-dum, deedlee-dee
Where'll I go, what'll I be
She said, deedlee-dum, deedlee-dee

She threw some sawdust in the air and her hands began to shake
She told me the town where I was born, she almost knew the date
She lit a candle with her eyes and then she made the table rise
She took the dollar from the jar and then she guessed my weight

Then I said, now what do ya see
She said, deedlee-dum, deedlee-dee
You are so old, you are so wise
Deedlee-dum, deedlee-dy
Give me a sign, tell it to me
She said, deedlee-dum, deedlee-dee
Then she spoke most quietly
Deedlee-dum, deedlee-dee

When you we a child at school they taught you quite a lot
You were told when you should speak and when you should not
You were taught to read and write, to take your lessons home at night
A little knowledge serves you well but the golden rule does not

Then I said, now what do ya mean
She said, deedlee-dum, deedlee-dee
Where'll I go, what'll I be
She said, deedlee-dum, deedlee-dee

Then when I came home that night to lie in bed awake
I thought of that old gypsy and the words that she had said
And now I see with due respect, the more we learn the worse we get
So if you feel you've no regrets, go have your fortune read

Then I said, now what do ya mean
She said, deedlee-dum, deedlee-dee
Where'll I go, what'll I be
She said, deedlee-dum, deedlee-dee
You are so old, you are so wise
Deedlee-dum, deedlee-dy
Give me a sign, tell it to me
She said, deedlee-dum, deedlee-dee

Where'll I go, what'll I be
She said, deedlee-dum, deedlee-dee
You are so old, you are so wise
Deedlee-dum, deedlee-dy
Give me a sign, tell it to me
She said, deedlee-dum, deedlee-dee

 

[fox69]

"The House You Live In"

"The House You Live In"



Go first in the world, go forth with your fears
Remember a price must be paid
Be always too soon, be never too fast
At the time when all bets must be laid
Beware of the darkness, be kind to your children
Remember the woman who waits
And the house you live in will never fall down
If you pity the stranger who stands at your gate

When you're caught by the gale and you're full under sail
Beware of the dangers below
And the song that you sing should not be too sad
And be sure not to sing it too slow
Be calm in the face of all common disgraces
And know what they're doin' it for
And the house you live in will never fall down
If you pity the stranger who stands at your door

When you're out on the road and feelin' quite lost
Consider the burden of fame
And he who is wise will not criticize
When other men fail at the game
Beware of strange faces and dark dingy places
Be careful while bending the law
And the house you live in will never fall down
If you pity the stranger who stands at your door

When you're down in the dumps and not ready to deal
Decide what it is that you need
Is it money or love, is it learning to live
Or is it the mouth you must feed
Be known as a man who will always be candid
On questions that do not relate
And the house you live in will never fall down
If you pity the stranger who stands at the gate
And the house you live in will never fall down
If you pity the stranger who stands at the gate

 

[fox69]

"The Last Time I Saw Her"

"The Last Time I Saw Her"



The last time I saw her face, her eyes were bathed in starlight and her hair hung long
The last time she spoke to me, her lips were like the scented flowers inside a rain-drenched forest
But that was so long ago that I can scarcely feel the way I felt before
And if time could heal the wounds, I would tear the threads away that I might bleed some more
The last time I walked with her
Her laughter was the steeple bells
That ring to greet the morning sun
A voice that called to everyone
To love the ground she walked upon
Those were good day

The last time I held her hand, her touch was autumn, spring and summer, and winter too
The last time I let go of her, she walked a way into the night
I lost her in the misty streets, a thousand months, a thousand miles
When other lips will kiss her eyes
A million miles beyond the moon, that's where she is

But that was so long ago that I can scarcely feel the way I felt before
And if time could heal the wounds, I would tear the threads away that I might bleed some more
The last time I saw her face, her eyes were bathed in starlight and she walked alone

The last time she kissed my cheek
Her lips were like the wilted leaves
Upon the autumn covered hills
Resting on the frozen ground
The seeds of love lie cold and still
Beneath a battered marking stone
It lies forgotten

 

[fox69]

"The List"

"The List"



There's a little room on my list for tonight
Will ya be the one to fill it in
Toss around what is up, what is down
In between, would ya like to dream
Step on in, ya don't have to play to win
But then you might

There's a little song on my list for tonight
Would ya like to try and make it rhyme
Sing and sway, if your heart feels that way
We can leave the blues behind

There's a little lovin' on my list for tonight
With a bit of luck, I'll check it off
Toss around what is up, what is down

In between, d' ya know what I mean
Rain, rain all day long
You've made it pay, you can do no wrong tonight
Pick and grin, ya don't have to play to win
But then you might
Thick and thin, ya don't have to play to win
But then you might

There's a little room on my list for tonight
Will ya be the one to fill it in
Toss around what is up, what is down

In between, would ya like to dream
Step on in, ya don't have to play to win
But then you might
Thick and thin, ya don't have to play to win
But then you might