john hartford
John Hartford (1937-2001, born John Cowan Harford), a bluegrass singer/songwriter, was obviously struck by God late 1966. At that time he was living in a trailer with his small family, and his nourishment was being a travelling disc jockey besides casual playing.
One evening the family went to the cinema watching "Doctor Zhivago", and Hartford caught the story of hopeless love between Yuri and Lara. He brought this in his mind back home, and sat down writing the most thrilling tune in folk music ever: moving the russian arena to USA, letting a hobo declare unaccomplished love to a woman far beyomd his reach. In his own words; the song was finished in less than half an hour, breaking all the rules of normal songwriting: no refrain, unequal lines and words just dropped down with sparse rhymes. He didn't know what really happened.
He didn't intend to record it himself; such things were not on his regular playlist. He made a demo for the publishing company "Tompall & the Glaser Bros", and THEY didn't know how to handle it, either. It ended up with Chet Atkins on RCA. He smelled something, contacted the songwriter and told him he'd better cut it humself. So he did. The single was released in April 1967, following an album. Atkins was also the one who suggested adding the "t" to the original Harford surname.
In June the same year, Glen Campbell heard and captured it. Not to insult his millions of hardcore fans, I don't dare to call him a hit-grabbing coyote ... ooops, did I? ... but at least, that success granted Hartford a full time engagement as a singer/songwriter. At the time this is written, more than fifty years afterwards, there are more than 300 versions out there, and the song has become a crossover standard. Hartford then consentrated on bluegrass, recording several good albums, but never came close to what happened in 1966.
Thanks, John! ...and Geir Madsen, who brought me notes, harmonies and lyrics these days internet not even was intended ... and Steinar Fonn, who gave me the rare album All in the Name of Love (Flying Fish 1977) for Christmas many lost years ago.
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're 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 clotheslines and junkyards and the highway come between us
and some other woman crying to her mother cause she turned and I was gone
I still run in silence • tears of joy might stain my face
and summer sun might burn me till I'm blind
but not to where I cannot see you walking on the backroads
by the rivers flowing gentle on my mind
I did my cup of soup back from the gurgling crackling caldron in some train yard
my beard a roughening coal pile and a dirty hat pulled low across my face
through cupped hands around 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 smiling • ever gentle on my mind
For the following CHORD section, fullscreen/horizontal mobile is recommended.
Chords in brackets may be omitted.
C Cmaj7 C6 it's knowing that your door is always open Cmaj7 Dm [...Faug...Dm7...Faug...] and your path is free to walk Dm Faug Dm7 that makes me tend to leave my sleeping bag rolled up G7 C [...Cmaj7...C6...Cmaj7...] and stashed behind your couch C Cmaj7 C6 Cmaj7 and it's knowing I'm not shackled by forgotten words and bonds C Cmaj7 Dm [...Faug...Dm7...Faug...] and the ink stains that have dried upon some line Dm Faug Dm7 G7 that keeps you in the backroads by the rivers of my memory Dm G6 G C that keeps you ever gentle on my mind
