People love to criticize this particular Lightfoot song (which does contain a few clumsy lines in the lyrics), but I have always found it very atmospheric and dramatically effective, both in the storytelling sense and in the music, simple as it is.

Interestingly enough, it remains the single most rapturously received song in most of Lightfoot's live performances in Canada, from what I've seen...so obviously I'm not the only one out there who likes it.

Then too, long songs don't bother me, since I grew up on Dylan.

I was once at a festival where I met a veteran folky who really pissed me off by complaining about Buffy Sainte-Marie's song "My Country 'Tis of thy People You're Dying". He had 2 reasons for not liking it: 1. He didn't identify with the theme (I can't imagine why...he was a Scot, and they had their land invaded and occupied, after all) 2. He thought it was WAY TOO LONG.

This pompous gent then went up on stage later in the evening and had the gall to play a supposedly funny song he had written that had at least 35 verses and lasted over 20 interminable minutes.

Talk about the pot calling the kettle black!

I suspect that the real reason he didn't like Buffy was merely because she is world famous and he is not. That means she's just gotta be a big commercial sellout, right? (sarcasm)

- LH