“Early Morning Rain”

“Early Morning Rain,” sometimes styled as “Early Mornin’ Rain,” is a song written, composed, and recorded by Canadian singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot. The song appears on his 1966 debut album Lightfoot! and, in a re-recorded version, on the 1975 compilation Gord’s Gold. Lightfoot wrote and composed the song in 1964, but its genesis took root during his 1960 sojourn in Westlake, Los Angeles. Throughout this time, Lightfoot sometimes became homesick and would go out to the Los Angeles International Airport on rainy days to watch the approaching aircraft.  The imagery of the flights taking off into the overcast sky was still with him when, in 1964, he was caring for his 5-month-old baby son and he thought, “I’ll put him over here in his crib, and I’ll write myself a tune. “Early Morning Rain” was the result. The lyrics suggest someone down on his luck, standing at an airport fence and observing the thunderous takeoff of a Boeing 707 jet airliner. The general narrative of the song can be taken as a jet-age musical allegory to a hobo of yesteryear lurking around a railroad yard attempting to surreptitiously board and ride a freight train to get home. Lightfoot reflects that being able to capture this narrative was due to his steady improvement as a songwriter. n 1965, the Canadian husband and wife duo Ian & Sylvia were the first artists to release this song. There was over a year’s time lag between their recording and Lightfoot’s release in 1966. Peter Paul and Mary’s version of the song was also recorded in 1965.  The Grateful Dead also recorded the song in 1965, and We Five released a version on their 1970 album, Catch the Wind.