I'm standing' at the doorway, my head bowed in my hands
Not knowing' where to sit, not knowing' where to stand
My father looms above me, for him there is no rest
My mother’s arms enfold me, and hold me to her breast
- They say you been out wandering', they say you traveled far
Sit down young stranger and tell us who you are. -
(The room has all gone misty. My thoughts are all in spin)
- Sit down young stranger, and tell us where you been. -
- Well, I've been up to the mountain, I've walked down by the sea
I never questioned no one, and no one questioned me
My love was given freely, and oft’ times was returned
I never came to borrow, I only came to learn
Sometimes it did get lonely, but it taught me how to cry
And laughter came too easy, for life to pass me by
I never had a dollar that I didn't earn with pride
'Cause I had a million daydreams to keep me satisfied. -
- And will you gather daydreams or will you gather wealth?
How can you find your fortune when you cannot find yourself? -
(My mother’s eyes grow misty, there's a tremblin' in her hand)
- Sit down young stranger, I do not understand. -
- And will you try and tell us, you’ve been too long at school?
That knowledge is not needed, that power does not rule?
That war is not the answer, that young men should not die?
Sit down young stranger, I wait for your reply -
- The answer is not easy for souls are not reborn. -
- To wear the crown of peace, you must wear the crown of thorns. -
- If Jesus, had a reason, I'm sure He would not tell
They treated Him so badly... How could He wish them well? -
The parlor now is empty, there's nothin' left to say
My father has departed, my mother’s gone to pray
There's rockets in the meadows and ships out on the sea
The answer’s in the forest carved upon a tree:
"John loves Mary"... Does anyone love me?
Not knowing' where to sit, not knowing' where to stand
My father looms above me, for him there is no rest
My mother’s arms enfold me, and hold me to her breast
- They say you been out wandering', they say you traveled far
Sit down young stranger and tell us who you are. -
(The room has all gone misty. My thoughts are all in spin)
- Sit down young stranger, and tell us where you been. -
- Well, I've been up to the mountain, I've walked down by the sea
I never questioned no one, and no one questioned me
My love was given freely, and oft’ times was returned
I never came to borrow, I only came to learn
Sometimes it did get lonely, but it taught me how to cry
And laughter came too easy, for life to pass me by
I never had a dollar that I didn't earn with pride
'Cause I had a million daydreams to keep me satisfied. -
- And will you gather daydreams or will you gather wealth?
How can you find your fortune when you cannot find yourself? -
(My mother’s eyes grow misty, there's a tremblin' in her hand)
- Sit down young stranger, I do not understand. -
- And will you try and tell us, you’ve been too long at school?
That knowledge is not needed, that power does not rule?
That war is not the answer, that young men should not die?
Sit down young stranger, I wait for your reply -
- The answer is not easy for souls are not reborn. -
- To wear the crown of peace, you must wear the crown of thorns. -
- If Jesus, had a reason, I'm sure He would not tell
They treated Him so badly... How could He wish them well? -
The parlor now is empty, there's nothin' left to say
My father has departed, my mother’s gone to pray
There's rockets in the meadows and ships out on the sea
The answer’s in the forest carved upon a tree:
"John loves Mary"... Does anyone love me?
Contributed by Bernart Bartleby - 2019/7/15 - 22:23
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Parole e musica di Gordon Lightfoot
La title track dell'album pubblicato nel 1970 che venne poi subito reintitolato "If You Could Read My Mind", a causa del grande successo di quest'altra canzone.
"Sit Down Young Stranger" è una canzone bellissima ma complessa e per questo ci è finora sfuggita come autentica ed imprescindibile CCG/AWS... Racconta di un dialogo serrato e difficile tra un giovane, che da poco ha fatto ritorno a casa, e i suoi genitori, manifestamente ostili alle scelte del figlio, tanto da considerarlo uno straniero. I genitori sono un padre e una madre come tanti, lui burbero e pratico, lei amorevole e silenziosa, soggetta al marito... Entrambi vorrebbero un futuro regolare e di successo per il proprio figlio, che invece è un idealista che ha per giunto scelto di disertare per non andare a combattere in Vietnam, e si è rifugiato per parecchio tempo all'estero, forse in Canada, a quei tempi la meta più semplice per i renitenti al servizio militare... Il confronto/scontro si chiude con un nulla di fatto, i genitori non hanno provato a comprendere, si eclissano, ed il giovane rimane solo, privato del loro amore, mentre all'orizzonte compaiono missili e navi da guerra... Che tristezza! E pensare che la soluzione di tutto starebbe solo nella comprensione e nell'amore, in un semplice "John ama Mary" inciso sul tronco di un albero...