Great topic! I agree with the sentiment that while I would love to know what inspired a song, or what it is "about", I also agree that sometimes we are just better off not knowing. What images a song might conjure up for me, are no doubt different than what they might mean to someone else.
I once raised the theory that Bitter Green was about a dog, and I probably ruined it for a number of people! While I suggested it mainly in jest, if you listen to the lyrics and think about it, it could work. Most of us have an image of a young maiden, now there's a whole group of people that can't shake the image of a collie! Imagine that with other songs.
I think the true beauty of these songs, and what makes them so personal and meaningful is what they mean to each of us. A song can mean one thing for years, or even nothing, then when something happens in your life, it has new meaning. IYCRMM had one meaning when I was 14, but didn't really mean as much as it did when I became older and really realized the depth of it. The Wreck was an interesting song to me until I saw the documentary on the Fitzgerald, then it had a whole new power.
I know I would be disappointed if I found the inspiration for a phrase or a song was something like the back of a cereal box.That said, I would love to see one of the TV biographys about Lightfoot. I doubt we ever will see it either though.
Jenney
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