Lightfoot, Gordon - Home From The Forest Lyrics






Oh the neon lights were flashin'
And the icy wind did blow
The water seeped into his shoes
And the drizzle turned to snow
His eyes were red, his hopes were dead
And the wine was runnin' low
And the old man came home
From the forest
His tears fell on the sidewalk
As he stumbled in the street
A dozen faces stopped to stare
But no one stopped to speak
For his castle was a hallway
And the bottle was his friend
And the old man stumbled in
From the forest

Up a dark and dingy staircase
The old man made his way
His ragged coat around him
As upon his cot he lay
And he wondered how it happened
That he ended up this way
Getting lost like a fool
In the forest

And as he lay there sleeping
A vision did appear
Upon his mantle shining
A face of one so dear
Who had loved him in the springtime
Of a long-forgotten year
When the wildflowers did bloom
In the forest

She touched his grizzled fingers
And she called him by his name
And then he heard the joyful sound
Of children at their games
In an old house on a hillside
In some forgotten town
Where the river runs down
From the forest

With a mighty roar the big jets soar
Above the canyon streets
And the con men con but life goes on
For the city never sleeps
And to an old forgotten soldier
The dawn will come no more
For the old man has come home
From the forest





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Lightfoot, Gordon Home From The Forest Comments
  1. W.... P....

    Lightfoot - One of the greatest lyricists of all time.

  2. k.... l....

    My absolutely favorite song of his.

  3. T.... M....

    this man is a master of melody and lyric and matching the two. no one better.

  4. C.... M....

    Our Veterans better than this!!

  5. E.... F....

    Each song a history of mankind ! Brilliant music!

  6. D.... V....

    One of the greatest songs ever written, what a melancholy picture it paints.

  7. B.... ....

    Every story paints a picture, and you understand every word Gordon sings. No mumbling, no overtones, no harsh whispering, AND no throw-away lyrics! Just clearly sung lyrics that mean something!

  8. B.... W....

    I love this song from harlan howard.

  9. C.... W....

    Beautiful, sad, and still so relevant. Thank you Gordon Lightfoot. I've loved your music since I was a kid in the 60's

  10. R.... L....

    My favorite singer songwriter of all time. Bob Dylan said this and I quote "when I hear a Gordon lightfoot song I wish it would never end." You are Sir a national treasure with the greatest body of work of any artist ever. God Bless you sir.

  11. S.... W....

    What can I add to the beautiful comments and anecdotes written here? Only that I have loved GL's music from the first time I heard him sing. I was privileged to see him on three separate occasions; Town Hall in NYC in May of 1968, Fillmore East in 1970 and Carnegie Hall in 1971.
    My favorite 'trio' was the incredible Red Shea on guitar and John Stockfish on Bass. But the real sense that I have is how timeless GL's songs are. I feel the same emotions well up when I heard this song a few minutes ago as when I first heard it back in 1967. What an amazing gift and treasure his life has been.

  12. B.... S....

    bit of a Rip Van Winkle feel to this story

  13. R.... L....

    I am person who lives in the moment, Gordons music touches me in the Moment, and id timeless <3

  14. B.... L....

    This is one of my favorites

  15. g.... 8....

    Listen to tony rice version way better

    g.... 8....

    There's always one in every crowd. Why can't people like you ever just let the rest of us enjoy what we love?

  16. M.... D....

    Heartbreakingly beautiful. Godspeed

  17. F.... M....

    Lightfoot was performing at Massey Hall on a bitterly cold winter eve when a homeless man sought shelter in the box office area . He was denied and put back out onto the street where he died from exposure that evening . The only things of ' value ' that they found on his person were his medals from his service in the second world war . When Lightfoot got wind of this , it was the inspiration for the song .

    F.... M....

    if that is really what happened shame on us

  18. W.... B....

    I hope those that enjoy this song realize the old man didn't come home from a forest.....he came home from a war....

  19. I.... L....

    We as humans came from the forest, the Garden of Eden. Can we ever return? Ira Lee Ph.D.

  20. s.... ....

    This is Gordons Streets of London .

  21. R.... d....

    When I was a teenager, I wanted to listen to Gordon Lightfoot exclusively. It was the sixties and rock was in. I refused. Nothing compared to Lightfoot. These songs are priceless. What a treasure Canada has in him.

    R.... d....

    not just Canada...the world.

  22. b.... r....

    I have tried to listen to this song without tears...I can't do it.

  23. L.... m....

    well I believe the era of beautiful music like this is over for good

  24. S.... J....

    my mother used to sing this to me at night when I was a boy. Somehow I remember almost all the words even though I've just remembered this song for the first time in YEARS! I'm 22 now and I don't think she's sung it to me since I was at least 7.

  25. N.... R....

    Awesome song.

  26. D.... O....

    One of the greatest songs ever written.

  27. D.... A....

    This song makes me actually cry.

  28. C.... R....

    Daddy I miss you.

  29. P.... G....

    There can be only very few songs with such descriptive lyrics. The first verse really paints a picture.

  30. T.... ....

    where are the old man's children and wife? why do they not care for him anymore? was he mean to them when the bottle took over his life? did he chase them away because he thought he did not deserve happiness? so many questions when one can no longer tolerate the life anymore. it is very difficult to live here in this life, but we have to do the best we can. great song.

  31. F.... ....

    Truly, a ranger is a thankless job.

  32. S.... W....

    A blast from the past. True genius.

  33. T.... T....

    One of THE great songwriters. Listen and you're there in the story.

  34. G.... S....

    how can anyone dislike this song?

  35. W.... B....

    I wonder how many people realize, this song isn't about a man coming home from a forest, but rather a man coming home from a war..........

  36. T.... D....

    Glad I found this again. It was taken off for copyright infringement or something like that.? I just like listening an remembering, don't want to hurt anyone or steal anything. Turning 69 yrs. in two days, should have been dead from cancer twenty seven years ago, good doctors and luck. A friend told me it wasn't my time, I haven't suffered enough. I named my 3.5 lb. hairless Chihuahua after him. Enjoy life.

  37. m.... ....

    Red Shea John Stockfish David Rea played many years with GL. Great musicians each one. mos60

  38. P.... V....

    One of the best lighfoot's songs

  39. B.... B....

    Dylan said when he listened to a GL song he wanted it to never end. I hear you Bob.

  40. N.... G....

    Last interview I read he said even with ill health he has to keep performing in order to pay alimony to his 2 ex-wives.

    N.... G....

    Neal Gill And I thought the song was heartbreaking! Sheesh!

  41. R.... D....

    One of my favorite Lightfoot tunes. Tony Rice did a great cover of this on "Manzanita."

  42. G.... L....

    Time Dog...I found what you wrote very beautiful, it put me in a place where I didn't want to leave,,,

  43. S.... P....

    Nobody, and i mean nobody, has written as many heart felt, realistic, compassionate, down to earth, uplifting songs as Gordon, God Bless You Gord!

    S.... P....

    how true!--same with cat stevens--

    S.... P....

    Lady Gaga has taken on that mantle. May she continue Gordon’s legacy!

  44. j.... s....

    Lightfoot..........simply one of the best!!

  45. E.... ....

    This song like a lot of Gords songs reminds me of old Ontario. Towns like Newmarket, Richmond Hill, Markham etc. just outside Toronto were Waspish and Presbyterian small towns and not multicultural suburbs. When downtown Toronto didn't have the office towers, just the old Commerce building and the sooty Royal York with the big ROYAL YORK sign. Perhaps the old man was a logger from up Algonquin way who lived winter in a logging shanty and summer on a Legion barstool.

    E.... ....

    +Essardee Just like you I cherish my memories of my time in this part of the world...Collingwood, Creemore, Barrie, Orillia, ...I sadly had to return to my native Ireland due to family commitments. Great stuff

    E.... ....

    Lived in Newmarket from 58 to 70 through my teens. Saturday nights listening to the muscle cars reving around town looking for a drag. Dancing in the Town hall to great bands. Fairy lake and the dam. The tree in the road on Eagle. Closest bar was Bradford where I saw Stompin Tom Connors in the Queens in 69.  Swimming in Glennville pond before the road was widened and paved. Sniping ground hogs for the farmers. Rabbits for the pot.  Driving down to Harveys for the best hamburger in town and watch the muscle cars flexing their muscles. Toronto for a show. The Exibition.

    E.... ....

    Perhaps he was.  However, for the past 30 years I've envisioned this old man to be an old alcoholic semi-homeless man living in a one room seedy room in a tenement block in a large city like Montreal or Toronto.  But as this gentleman is dying he remembers his youth and his former love.  Just before he passes away and comes home from the forest.

    E.... ....

    I like your comment from two years ago. Much of that is how I remember the city as a child. The Eaton and Simpson windows at Christmas, the Santa Clause parade. I had a part time job driving a furniture truck for Eatons in the 60`s while in college. We would do fine furniture out of College Street store at Christmas. The staff would gather before work on the day before Christmas and sing carols and have coffee with pastries. Sometimes memories are all that are left. It is difficult to explain to later generations.

    E.... ....

    Having lived in southwestern Ontario all of my life and coming from a small city, I can say that the imagery you make note of is pretty much the same imagery that pops in my head whenever I listen to this song. And although I'm 54 years old, I can remember a time when Ontario was indeed WASP-ish and Presbyterian (or maybe even United Church) in its behaviour and outlook. That really didn't start changing until the mid to late 1970s when a new wave of immigrants started arriving from places other than Great Britain and Ireland.

    A lot of Gordon's songs do a great job of capturing the essence of Canada and its people. 'Home from the Forest' is no exception.

  46. L.... F....

    Lovely song - great lyrics as usual - our Canadian Treasurer. I remember seeing him when I was a teenager in a coffee house in downtown Toronto. first song I heard him sing had me hooked as a fan forever.

  47. K.... G....

    Written in 1967 - if this one doesn't break your heart and make you flat out weep - you're cold inside.... He is the master of the heart strings as much as he is with the chords...

  48. J.... M....

    I wish my great friend Jeff had commented on some of Gordies songs, he loved him so. Jeff, I love and miss you so much.

    J.... M....

    +Janet Mcfarland-Agberico He knows.

  49. J.... J....

    Our Canadian treasure!

  50. D.... M....

    O.D.C.V.I. Gordon Knows what I mean.

    D.... M....

    +Dave Morrison I know what ODCVI means and your are right on. What a treasure GL is - we watch him get his start but missed his real essence - from someone from BDCC

  51. b.... A....

    And what have we done since 1967 to make the plight of the suffering just a wee bit less?

  52. J.... d....

    gordon lightfoot en john denver, the two best ever....

    J.... d....

    i agree

  53. R.... S....

    My best bud Mick (now sadly passed) was working for a record company in the mailroom in Toronto in the early 60's.  Another young man Gordon worked with him and they became good friends.  Mick learned that his friend was a bit of a singer/songwriter so he convinced him to put a couple of his songs on tape.  Mick knew some guys who worked at a few of radio stations in Toronto and convinced them to air some of Gordon's songs.  They did.  And Gordon's career took off! 

    R.... S....

    Hey B, of course I can't verify Mick's story. But I can tell you he did not play off his reputation. He only told me this after 3-4 years of friendship. And none of his other friends that I met after he passed even knew this story. Gordon does refer to "this guy" who passed his music around some of the radio stations in Toronto and that's what got him noticed. All I can say is Mick had incredible integrity and humility. He also started the group that became the Guess Who, but he down-played it all.

    R.... S....

    Thanks forever to your friend! I was honoured to have met him and visited him in his fantastic home in Rosedale with a wonderful view of the CN tower from his front entry way. He played several songs for me there....so special and sweet. One of my most favorite memories of my dear special friend , Gordon was when he took me to Georgian Bay to see his sailboat, but it was just sold and was not in its slip. "Christian Island" was one of my favorite songs.

    R.... S....

    @ Rob Schock
    Rob, you're friend Mick must have been quite the superhero. By day, a mild-mannered record company mail room worker, but by night a man with the power to launch the careers of two of the biggest musical acts in Canadian history (Lightfoot and The Guess Who). And all the while he was able to maintain his secret identity, because until I read your post three minutes ago, I had never, ever heard of him.

    R.... S....

    Rob Schock Gordon Great 👍 and Guess who; Great. He had a good ear for exceptional talent. 🤗

    R.... S....

    Sylvia Knappe It’s a beauty.

  54. C.... M....

    A beautiful salute of our Nations Veterans.

    C.... M....

    FANTASTIC ALBUM
    JOHN USN

  55. C.... K....

    Ahhhh.... The perfect music to soothe an aching soul! What a gem!

  56. R.... B....

    I lost my dad who was a very good man many have said he was one of the last great ones. He was a FDR democrat who always went out of his way to help the down and out. He really loved this song.. Thank you for posting and Thank you Gordon for this song you are also one of the great ones

  57. E.... P....

    makes me teary-eyed every time I hear it.

  58. M.... G....

    Our pride and joy is Gordon - love all his music.

  59. A.... B....

    There but for the grace of God go I.

    A.... B....

    My father used to say that. It took some time for me to understand. I miss him, love you dad. Be well Arthur.

  60. T.... H....

    Well, this pretty much destroyed me...

  61. C.... W....

    amazing that these words were written by such a young man.   Love this song and Gordon Lightfoot.

  62. T.... B....

    Even though I'm not Canadian, Gordon's music (especially the earlier stuff, like this) really reminds me of my childhood.  I took up playing the guitar just so I could play some of his stuff.  10 Degrees and getting colder, Rainy Day People, If you could read my mind, Softly, Early Morning Rain, and so many more great songs.  I got to see him in concert a couple times, 30+ years ago, with a girl I should have married then but didn't.  I still miss her.  Thanks for posting this and all the other great songs from Gordon.

    T.... B....

    +Tim Bohan Do you ever wonder what happened to that "other girl"?

    T.... B....

    Tim Bohan I wonder if she still thinks of you now , probably does , it happens to many of us .

  63. F.... ....

    All of Gordie's songs have a unique Canadian sound, especially the instrumental sections. If you don't see and hear this, then you're not Canadian!

    F.... ....

    FrewstonBooks n

  64. S.... ....

    A metaphoric song about a homeless derelict shunned by everyone in the forest,
    a big city where he wanders around aimlessly drunk.   Everyone  ignores him in his older  final years.  Hitting the bottle again, he reminisces about a past life where he was loved , and dies all alone..

    S.... ....

    He doesn't die alone....

  65. b.... ....

    Here is a perfect example of Red Shea`s guitar picking that made those early G.L. recordings so tasty and colorful.

    b.... ....

    I believe the bass player was John Stockfish,also now passed away.

    b.... ....

    I see someone else beat me to it.

    b.... ....

    When did John pass away I knew him well in the old days around Oakville and Mississauga

    b.... ....

    Red Shea was one of the best guitarists of all time... but only Gordon could write a song like this!

    b.... ....

    One of the best, and underrated backup guitarists of all time. Almost wore out this album and fifty years later I still play many of the songs. In fact, I played this one at a gig two weeks ago along with Wherefore and the Why.

  66. S.... M....

    The album The Way I Feel is one of Gordie's best.

  67. x.... ....

    A man and a time forgotten. A touching song from a brilliant songwriter. Sadly however, there are generations that will never understand this song, much less ever hear it. 

    x.... ....

    wot is it about exactly?

  68. W.... T....

    its awsome

    W.... T....

    fab song I like singing it  bill t

  69. n.... ....

    Such a beautiful and sad metaphor of life,an old soldier...or a derelict, a lonesome mother of two, the unwanted immigrant, that faceless teen stuck in prostitution, the song tells it all.

  70. T.... L....

    This very moving song used to make my late wife cry when I played it on the piano.  So nice to find it again.  

  71. K.... P....

    Every Gordon Lightfoot song paints a vivid picture of life in all it's facets.
    I love this one.

  72. C.... R....

    my father, who has passed, 3 years ago, i did play this song for him, couldn't understand why he didn't like this while he was sober, when he had a few, he could relate, and until this moment as i'm typing, i just figured it out, he didn't like the song cause i sang if for him, now i understand, and i know i'm not alone

  73. l.... ....

    today's hideous processed garbage cant touch the wonder of gordon lightfoot

  74. l.... ....

    don't worry you still have such boundless talents as justin bieber and one direction

  75. b.... ....

    Listen to Red Shea`s colorful finger style playing with Gord`s voice. It was a magical time for them. Wish they did more together. Fantastic tune!

  76. S.... E....

    I don't think I'll have any tears left after Gordon Lightfoot dies (God forbid anytime soon)

  77. E.... ....

    This song reminds me of Toronto in the 60's when it was Waspish, grey and sooty with street cars, Eatons, taverns closed on Sundays....the old man was probably a woodcutter who drifted down to the Warwick on Jarvis Street from Huntsville.

  78. p.... ....

    Same for me. Thank your dad. (55 USA) Gordon is a legend that will NEVER be matched!

  79. p.... ....

    Bet you have some good stories. I didn't see Gordon Lightfoot until about '81. Love his music still

  80. L.... D....

    <3 he'll appreciate that!

  81. j.... ....

    Thank your father for me (I'm 55 Canadian) ♥

  82. L.... D....

    He's so handsome... I thank my father for making sure I was well educated on him in my youth.

    24 now, and I can't wait to show him to my children...

    Thanks Gordon, you're one hell of a man.

  83. m.... ....

    @Greg...you are quite correct. GL is indeed a treasure in many, many countries. Countries that people may not even heard about. He is connecting humanity with his songs.

  84. r.... ....

    Must agree it is a beautiful song.Jancis Harvey also did it and the female voice is as perfect.

  85. b.... ....

    One of the most beautiful songs ever written, IMO.

  86. D.... S....

    I agree with everything you said. I've loved his music since I was very young as well and I cry every time I hear this song - so very poignant and so much foreshadowing of what would happen in his own life and his ongoing battle with alcohol <3

  87. t.... ....

    Yes, he's Canadian, a national treasure, but I'm going out on a limb here by proclaiming he's a treasure in many countries, and to be shared with us all, sorry Canada! He belongs to the ages, and his music will outlive us all.......great music always does. One in a million.

  88. g.... ....

    Just a comment on the 10 th Nov.2012 , tomorrow we should all pause to remember our , ' old forgotten soldiers ' .
    Without their sacrifice none of this shit would even be here.

  89. k.... ....

    Thank-you Gordon for sharing your music and life with us. We are all better for it. I treasure every one of your songs.

  90. H.... H....

    A singer you can never forget, he puts his heart and soul into every song ! xx

  91. c.... ....

    Wonderful how he uses the analogy of tall downtown buildings being like trees in a forest. Amazing songwriter!

  92. C.... ....

    This is Gordon at his best! I really love his early material. It is so fresh! The guitars ring out so clear they seem to speak. Love it!

  93. H.... S....

    exactly!

  94. y.... ....

    been to 2 shows in knox tn. my goal is to hit massey at least once in my life. ( and his)

  95. y.... ....

    first time i talked with him after a show in 2009, i was THINKING the same thing. needless to say i didnt say that even though i was not sober. shook his hand and talked for a few minutes.

  96. G.... P....

    Listen to this song right after "Bitter Green". Keep the Kleenex handy.

  97. W.... J....

    Lorne. I miss you, man. I am so sorry that when I finally got to meet GL I was really drunk and I was so surprised to find out he wasn't 6 feet tall and all that I blurted out the only thing I could think of... my God, you're so short! needless to say he wasn't impressed, but it's ok, I kind of went to see him where he was playing next door to the gig Barb was doing in Grants Pass.
    I hope your life is awesome, my lifelong friend.. I will miss you always. God bless

  98. w.... ....

    My youth (all those years ago) looms into consciousness whenever I listen to Gordon Lightfoot.

  99. J.... S....

    I was at his concert in Dallas Jan.28 2012 and he still
    has it

  100. p.... ....

    @TahoeLegend As ggod as this is, there is a version better than this, by the obscure and incomparable BILL MASON.