Album: Lightfoot! (1965)

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• In the early mornin' rain
  With a dollar in my hand
  With an aching in my heart
  And my pockets full of sand
  I'm a long ways from home
  And I missed my loved one so
  In the early mornin' rain
  With no place to go
  
  Out on runway number nine
  Big seven o seven set to go
  Well I'm stuck here on the grass
  With a pain that ever grows
  Where the liquor tasted good
  And all the women all were fast
  There, there she goes my friend
  She's rolling down at last
  
  Hear the mighty engines roar
  See the silver wing on high
  She's away and westward bound
  For above the clouds she'll fly
  Where the mornin' rain don't fall
  And the sun always shines
  She'll be flying over my home
  In about three hours time
  
  This ol' airport's got me down
  It's no damn good to me
  And I'm stuck here on the ground
  As cold and drunk as I can be
  Can't jump a jet plane
  Like you can a freight train
  So I best be on my way
  In the early mornin' rain
  Can't jump a jet plane
  Like you can a freight train
  So I best be on my way
  In the early mornin' rain Writer/s: Gordon Lightfoot
  Publisher: Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
  Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 5

• Ronald J. Rico from New YorkI don't think these lyrics are quite correct -- they certainly are not the same as the ones I used when I started singing the song in the '60s. This is how I learned it listening to it on the radio and on friends' vinyl:
  
  In the early mornin' rain with a dollar in my hand,
  With an achin' in my heart, and my pockets full of sand.
  I'm a long way from my home, and I miss my loved ones so.
  In the early mornin' rain with no place to go.
  
  Out on runway number nine, big 707 set to go,
  But I'm stuck here on the ground where the cold winds blow.
  Well the liquor tasted good and the time it went so fast --
  There she goes my friend -- there she's rollin' now at last.
  
  Hear the mighty engines roar, see the silver bird on high.
  She's away and westward bound, far above the clouds she'll fly,
  Where the mornin' rain don't fall and the sun always shines --
  She'll be flyin' o'er my home in about three hours time.
  
  Well this old airport's got me down -- it ain't no earthly good to me
  'Cause I'm stuck here on the ground, as cold and drunk as I can be.
  You know, you can't jump a jet plane like you can a freight train --
  So I'd best be on my way in the early mornin' rain.
  
  As you'd expect, I'm older than that 707 was when it flew away from Mr. Lightfoot, so I have probably erred in my recitation of the lyric. I think, however, that this version is closer -- a lot closer -- to the original than is the one above.
  
  As we'd say back then, "Happy trails!" Of course, when we said "happy trails," it didn't have the same meaning as when Roy and Dale sang it (fewer hoot owls and more purple owlsley, if you catch my drift, if you dig my vibes, if you ogle my oscillations).
• Lennie Leñg from NzHitched around the US back in the late 70s
  Can relate to these songs round much
• Allan from St. Agatha Ontario Gordon Lightfoot has incredible longevity and is a true Canadian icon.
• Jennifur Sun from RamonaI'm surprised too, of Elvis recording the song, because Col Tom made a policy of not letting him record anything that was not signed over to Elvis and Col Tom so they would get the royalty rights. My fav version of this song is by The Kingston Trio, with the line up of Roger, George and Bob
• Luke from WinnipegMany, many great songs from this man. The Canadian Bob Dylan.

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