John Hartford - Gentle on my mind 1977

John Hartford - Gentle on my mind 1977

(Original 1967, covered by Glen Campbell)

It's knowing that your door is always open
And your path is free to walk
That makes me tend to leave my sleeping bag
Rolled up and stashed behind your couch

And it's knowing I'm not shackled
By forgotten words and bonds
And the ink stains that have dried upon some line
That keeps you in the backroads
By the rivers of my memory
That keeps you ever gentle on my mind

It's not clinging to the rocks and ivy
Planted on their columns now that binds me
Or something that somebody said
Because they thought we fit together walking

It's just knowing that the world
will not be cursing Or forgiving
when I walk along some railroad track and find
That you are moving on the backroads
By the rivers of my memory
And for hours you're just gentle on my mind

Though the wheat fields and the clothes lines
And the junkyards and the highways come between us
And some other woman crying to her mother
'Cause she turned and I was gone

I still might run in silence tears of joy
might stain my face
And the summer sun might burn me 'til I'm blind
But not to where I cannot see
you walkin' on the backroads
By the rivers flowing gentle on my mind

(Instrumental)

I dip my cup of soup back from the gurglin'
Cracklin' caldron in some train yard
My beard a roughning coal pile and
A dirty hat pulled low across my face

Through cupped hands 'round a tin can
I pretend I hold you to my breast and find
That you're waving from the backroads
By the rivers of my memory
Ever smilin' ever gentle on my mind

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Pop
• Country
• Banjo
• 70s
• US
• John
• Hartford
• Gentle
• on
• my
• mind
• 1977
• Glen
• Campbell
• By
• the
• rivers
• flowing
• gentle
• That
• keeps
• you
• ever
• And
• for
• hours
• you're
• just

[jerry854]

As I join my sons for my 61st birthday...I will ask them, who is my most favorite artists ever??? They will spew out names and still miss the mark. And then I will expose them to a name that is unfamiliar to them. As they do some searches on their own, they will find this very talented river boat captain who has a catalog of songs that seems to be never ending. And they will see that he has passed. And archive video is all we can watch of his genious. Still, they will carry on his music. G/B/J.

[snapjackson78]

Thank you John Hartford for sharing your gift with all of us. You are missed.

[lobo81865]

Love this man's music. It's a shame I didn't discover his stuff until he was near death.

[randallking13]

The local indie station (WYEP in Pittsburgh) has been playing the "Ghost on the Canvas" Glen Campbell album. So I started doing a little research on some old Campbell hits and discovered "Gentle on My MInd" was a Johnny Hartford song. Wow. Going to see Glen at Kent OH in January. Steam Powered Aero-Plane was one our favorite albums in college ...

[MongoFreddie]

Ummm ... make that "big" time, not bit time. Damned laptop keyboard...

[MongoFreddie]

I saw John live at UT Arlington back in the early 70s, and have never forgotten his massive talent. He is missed, bit time.

[jusgoodmsc]

Love it.best song ever written to me

[gangelone999]

it will interesting to see if the give John any credit for writing the song on the CMT awards tonite, when they do the tribute to Glen Campbell

[higgme1ster]

@fedela100 You may ask Brandy, I hear she was a fine girl!

[Georgiaboy130]

Why do the great ones not grow old? Can you imagine the results of another twenty years with this gentle soul upon the earth? Oh the songs we'd be tapping our toes to! RIP John.

[potentialavalanche]

His song writing is so profound and beautifully whimsical. I wish I had been around while he was still alive and performing. These videos will just have to do.

[Mygrassisblue01]

R.I.P. John you are missed