"The answer's in the forest, carved upon a tree..."

And she told him she would take him
For a ride in the mornin' sun
Back in Boulder, he had told her
"I don't know when I had a better friend"

I've gotten into the habit of pulling out my Gordon Lightfoot mix whenever I go on long drives through the forest or mountains. Something about his songs meshes with that kind of landscape. Their apparent down-to-earth, organic simplicity masks something deeper and much more complex, much the way those first few visible yards of trees don't tell the whole story of the forest beyond.

When you wake up to the promise of your dream world comin' true
With one less friend to call on, was it someone that I knew?
Away you will go sailin' in a race among the ruins
If you plan to face tomorrow, do it soon

His stories weave and twist and turn like any good road where one can both lose and find himself. Like the scenery around a particular bend in the road might take my breath away, Lightfoot will come out of nowhere with a simple turn of a phrase that does the same. Just as I can identify with those physical places, I'll find the same in the metaphorical. There's nothing better for me in music than to hear a lyric and think, "That's exactly how that feels."

I think you have somebody waiting outside in the rain to take you away
You got places to go, you got people to see, still I'm gonna miss you
But anyway

I wish you good spaces in the far away places you go
If it rains or it snows, may you be safe and warm and never grow old
And if you need someone who loves you, you know I will always be there
I'll do it although... I'm not supposed to care

I'll give you the keys to my flying machine if you'd like
I will show you the light and when you call, I'm gonna come to you
And when you find someone who loves you,
I'll know you would treat me the same
Just lie there... you're not supposed to care

I think you have somebody waiting outside in the rain to take you away
That's some kind of a game, still I'm glad it came down to the final round
But anyway

If you think you need someone who needs you,
you know I will always be there
I'll do it although... I'm not supposed to care
I'll do it although... I'm not supposed to care