[geodeticman.5]

Auburn -

I've always thought "All the Lovely Ladies" was a very beautiful, partly religious song, partly human weakness. I believe I mentioned it in the short lived thread that I'm thankfuk that Char opened, stemming from a (hey I just realized I've used that mystery Gord word in common usage for years in that context! hmmm)anyway....stemming from another thread where someone mused over the plausibility of a "religious" or, actually it was "spiritual" songs by Gord thread idea.

Char made it into reality, and I came close to the opening statement with , unfortunately, a foreboding portent of how people can sometimes shy away from stating religious, or in this case "spiritual" aspects, or essences as the thread referred to it as of music, lest they be branded religious zealots or Evangelical. I think the thinking-out-loud of my fear of this happening in what I thought was a thread long overdue.....contributed unfortunately to its less-than rip-roaring response.

It has been said that, when polled, over 85% of people believe in at least a higher power , or creator of the universe.... and yet, even when the literal term "religious" is throttled back, so to speak, to "spiritual" to be a bit more ...comfortable.... , which was wise, the response flattened out right away. I applaud Char for posting it, and whomever the poster in the other thread that proposed it as an idea was....

Because, it seems very clear to me that Gordon's music is without a doubt, more than sprinkled with lyrics that are, as your article above says, clearly a prayer, because it asks for blessings in the choruses. Many, many Lightfoot songs are anywhere from overtly religious, even full-blown prayer start-to-finish, varying to partly religious, to more generalized spirituality that transcends specific religion type, to mild mention made, to no mention at all.

To me, that is the perfect solution to present a real human, singing real feelings, where they don't lose the anti-religious music people because the songs are "preachy" - I've NEVER heard this criticism of Gord's music. He subtly inflects his, quite commonly-lamentations as to his shortcomings in the vane of "Lord forgive me, for I have sinned" genre of religious lyrics. It lets non-religious people listen to it and enjoy it, without losing them..

And , personally, I have always thought that if a songwriter wanted to convey a Christian or in any event non-secular view here and there in their music, the best way is to make it subtle. And pepper in some overt ones. And... don't be afraid to do songs that have NO religious context or sub-context. Nowhere does it say it is a sin to sing completely secular music. Lightfoot's music would be classified as secular, and his audience commonly secular-oriented in music, if not typically. And yet, conveying all aspects of his human-ness, he still manages to inflect his religious feelings here and there without it sounding like 'religous' music.

We could banter over the difference between spiritual versus religous all day, and yes there is a difference IMO, one being a subset of the other, one being easier for the masses to digest, and thats fine. But I personally delight in the fact that as a Christian man, who basically does not like 'religous' music per se, I can listen to my favourite singer-songwriter, who happens to include spiritual or religous lyrics in maybe a third of his songs.

Even when he does, he also can speak of other facets of himself, or the protagonist of the songs implied, that are of a ....uhm...'weaknesses' facets to the man or the song, which is quite human....and it does not make his music "decadent" , or 'evil' in anyway to the purist religous music devotee. I should not say that, as I am not one, but I am a man with religous convictions, I happen to be a Christian, but I am not a Bible-thumper, or a four-square, or Evangelistic, or prothelytizing man... I was raised that religion is a deeply personal thing, and it was impolite to bring it up in company not gathered for that purpose.

Be that stricly Biblical or not is debatable. But it is the way I am, its the way Gord's music seems to me to be... I'll say it.... "I Steve Dunbar believe Gordon Lightfoot , by virtue of his music, to be a Christian." "Like all of us, he is imperfect" He does not desecrate, nor does he attempt to consecrate. He is what he is. To me, it is part of the oft-cited 'Everyman' aspect of Lightfoot that is part.. of his appeal. He doesn't preach, doesn't admonish us to be "saved" in the current usage, but he will sing a full-prayer song such as "Lord Forgive me', or "Its TooLate for Prayin", etc... the examples are rife, and they do not define him. He defines them, when it FITS in the context of his song as part of what he wants to communicate. I don't think its his message, I think his message contains IT at times.

He reminds us only by exmple - he speaks of praying himself wether by implication in the lyrics, or overtly, but does not do it preachily (?), or TELL us to do so. He has the grace and dignity and good taste to not do that. And in doing so, I believe he has taken GOOD VALUES.... and further disseminated them amongst far more listeners, than if he were to have spent his life writing and singing only non-secular, fully religuous music.


Which, BTW, I do not think at all is his mission, I "think" his mission is to share his humanity with is and the world around us through his music - the good, the bad, and the ugly in the world, but also the grace, the dignity,the beauty, and the humility of not being afraid to include in his lyrics that part of him that he was raised happily as, as so many of us were. And his music no more becomes painted as "Christian Music" than do we when we go into the workplace on Monday morning, and get do not get branded as a Bible-thumper...."watch-out"- just because we go to church now and then, and DO believe in God and pray here and there. And TRY to be good people.

And are nowhere near perfect. That common-man aspect makes it through his music, and yet leaves us with a subtle reminder that there is a higher power, we CAN pray to God, he DOES value communicating his religous feelings in his music we are to assume, just as he values conveying all his other feelings.... and it..works... he loses...-neither- extreme in the process.....


One other thought.....purely speculative.. I wonder why it is, that when we speak of "religuous music" - what that mean in common usage is Christian in todays world...97 times out of a 100. I wonder why that is.... it would seem... that other religions do not (anywhere even as close as often) do NOT appararently record religous music that is not Christian-faith. I know it is largely based upon the statistically dominant religions in North America, Christian or Catholic, but Judaism, Hinduism, Bhuddism, you almost NEVER hear "religous music" by those sects. Why ?

I think Gordon has the answer. He, by presenting himself as human first, does not present as either 'religous' music per se, nor does he desecrate or blaspheme in the strict sense of the word. I think its safe to say his music IS secular, but I gotta say, for being secular, and my favourite music.... THANK GOD GORDON LIGHTFOOT sings of his faith here and there, much as do I ... think of it here and there.... and... in doing so.....he "reaches" me...."somedays I'm a diamond, some days I'm a stone" is how I am, and , to me, thats how he presents himself IMO in his music. Its part... of him and his music. I like it that way. He is not afraid to say "God Bless you and Keep you safe and warm", or "Bless You and Keep you on the Road to Tenderness", and in turn I thank him for that subtly and say in turn with conviction and lack of pretense or preachiness "God Bless Gordon Lightfoot"

Thanks Auburn Annie, for bringing this article to our attention,

~geo steve