#SLS for 9/20/20

Today’s prompt is Canadian music. I feel chatty. The song I picked has a special meaning to me. A memory that has little if anything to do with the singer, the music, or the lyrics. I played soft ball in grade school. It was the spring of my 4th grade year. Anna Z aka Buggie came into our classroom and asked us to sign up. She said to tell our parents we wanted to play and bring them back that night for registration. Of course I had fear of missing out (FOMO) before it was even a thing. Puhleese mom and daddy!!! Can I play?!??! They agreed and three of us from class/neighborhood started the carpool to twice weekly practice. That turned into the best summer of my life and I continued to play for five more years.

The song and why I picked it. Buggie brought an eight track player to the field and during practice she’d play music. It was hard to hear and kind of staticy but still made for good times. If you were in the dugout, the reception was better. “If You Could Read My Mind” by Gordon Lightfoot was a staple of the song rotation. We all loved this song. We thought it was so heartfelt

If you could read my mind, love
What a tale my thoughts could tell
Just like an old-time movie
‘Bout a ghost from a wishin’ well
In a castle dark or a fortress strong
With chains upon my feet
You know that ghost is me
And I will never be set free
As long as I’m a ghost that you can’t see

If I could read your mind, love
What a tale your thoughts could tell
Just like a paperback novel
The kind the drugstores sell
When you reach the part where the heartaches come
The hero would be me
But heroes often fail
And you won’t read that book again
Because the ending’s just too hard to take

I’d walk away like a movie star
Who gets burned in a three-way script
Enter number two
A movie queen to play the scene
Of bringing all the good things out in me
But for now love, let’s be real
I never thought I could act this way
And I’ve got to say that I just don’t get it
I don’t know where we went wrong
But the feeling’s gone and I just can’t get it back

If you could read my mind, love
What a tale my thoughts could tell
Just like an old-time movie
‘Bout a ghost from a wishin’ well
In a castle dark or a fortress strong
With chains upon my feet
But stories always end
And if you read between the lines
You’ll know that I’m just tryin’ to understand
The feelings that you lack
I never thought I could feel this way
And I’ve got to say that I just don’t get it
I don’t know where we went wrong
But the feeling’s gone and I just can’t get it back

Bonus video follows of Gordon singing live in 2020. “I’ll Tag Along” and “If You Can Read My Mind” He is a spry 81! How cool is that?!??!