In the early morning rainWith a dollar in my hand
With an achin' in my heart
And my pockets full of sand
I'm a long way from home
And I miss my loved ones so
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Head pressed against a cool window.
Can be a plane, train, car, bus, airport, hotel, home.
That unsettling ache for a person or place. Or sense of being.
Gordon Lightfoot got that feeling exactly right with Early Morning Rain.
I'm sure at the time he wrote that song, all he had on his mind was that ache and getting the expression of it out and onto paper.
He wasn't thinking about how it would take him to the next level in his career. And its that twist of fate with this song that gives it even more depth and meaning for me.
Gordon recorded it in 1965. Peter, Paul and Mary made it famous in 1966, bringing more attention to his already growing reputation as a singer/songwriter.
And that little spark took Gordon further along his path. Did he know that at the time he was writing? Nope. But he knew he had to write it.
The last time I heard this song, I was in a little boutique looking for a party dress with a friend. It was Paul Weller's version (one of my favourites to be sure). It instantly brought that ache to my heart.
But it also carried with it a sweet little smile of knowing.
That little ache, properly expressed and valued, will likely take me someplace great.
