Friday, January 30, 2026

Shadows - Tony Rice

Shadows - Tony Rice
3:44
Native American, 1988
Written by Gordon Lightfoot, 1982

If you closed your eyes, you'd think this was Gordon Lightfoot singing, and yes, he wrote the song.  It's a love ballad, in which the narrator is astounded at the mystery of love and the natural world.  "Won't you lie down by me baby / Run your fingers through my hands / I've been all around the town / And still I do not understand."  That's a perfect image, clear-eyed yet still stumped by the dearth of language.  If a poet like Lightfoot can't express the mystery, what chance do we mortals have?  Rice's beautiful acoustic guitar is a perfect accompaniment to this gorgeous sentiment; it sits with the words, quietly and simply.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Dancing Lady - Teddy and the Rough Riders

Dancing Lady - Teddy and the Rough Riders 2:56 single, 2020 Written by Teddy and the Rough Riders Teddy and the Rough Riders is a Nashville...