Happy # 81 Glen Campbell

Glen Campbell is a year older.   We have not seen much of Glen lately because of bad health.

Over his career, Glen Campbell recorded some great songs, from “By the time I get to Phoenix” to “Rhinestone Cowboy”. 

My favorite is “Gentle on my mind”, a song that I had not heard in a long time.

Here is a bit about the song from Songfacts:

“This song, written by John Hartford, won four 1968 Grammy awards, including one for Hartford for Best Folk Performance, and one for Glen Campbell for Best Country & Western Solo Vocal Performance, Male.

Hartford’s inspiration for this song was the movie Doctor Zhivago.

After watching the movie, he sat down and wrote the lyrics in about 15 minutes.”

Inspired by Dr Zhivago?  I did not know that.  Nevertheless, this is one of the most “covered” country songs ever, from Elvis to Dean Martin to Waylon Jennings to Tammy Wynette and just about everybody else:

Happy # 81 Glen Campbell……”Gentle On My Mind”…. https://t.co/SpcOO7q1ax via @amazon

— Silvio Canto, Jr. (@SCantojr) April 22, 2017

“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 mem’ry
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 are moving on the backroads
By the rivers of my mem’ry
And for hours you’re just gentle on my mind
Though the wheat fields and the clothes lines
And the junkyards and the highways come between us
And some other woman crying to her mother
‘Cause she turned and I was gone
I still might run in silence tears of joy might stain my face
And the summer sun might burn me ’til I’m blind
But not to where I cannot see you walkin’ on the backroads
By the rivers flowing gentle on my mind
I dip my cup of soup back from the gurglin’
Cracklin’ caldron in some train yard
My beard a roughning coal pile and
A dirty hat pulled low across my face
Through cupped hands ’round 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 mem’ry
Ever smilin’ ever gentle on my mind.”