Gord,
It was a jolt to hear of your passing.
Not unexpected, but still a shock.
When someone has achieved immortality,
A reminder that they are in fact mortal is unsettling.
I’m so glad we got to see you when you were on tour here a couple of years ago.
Your voice was not the same.
You were a lot thinner, a lot older.
But I remembered that you’ve been through a lot.
It was easy to listen to your priceless lyrics,
Listen to your band,
And in the end, all that mattered was that you were still with us.
Those wonderful, masterfully lyrical songs.
When people mention the greatest singer/songwriters,
You’re often left off the list.
Which is a crime.
It is incredible how many great songs you wrote.
“Early Morning Rain.”
“For Lovin’ Me.”
“If You Could Read My Mind.”
“Canadian Railroad Trilogy.”
“Black Day in July.”
“If You Could Read My Mind.”
“Sundown.”
“Carefree Highway.”
Your magnum opus, “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.”
And so many more.
You wrote beautiful but hard songs about love, loss, and death.
You also wrote about joy.
The joy of simple things – working hard, coming home to the one you love. Listening to old records.
You loved hard.
You lived hard.
You barely survived your hard living.
But you did survive.
Weathered and battered like the rest of us.
And now, you’ve joined the firmament.
A star among stars.
You are gone in body,
Yet, you’re immortal.
Your voice is immortal.
Your songs are immortal.
A well-written song is a beautiful gift.
You left us so many beautiful gifts.
Rest well and know that you will never be forgotten.
Goodnight, Gord.
Goodnight.