In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
If you could read my mind, love
What a tale my thoughts would tell
Just like an old-time movie
Out a ghost from a wishing well
In a castle dark or a fortress strong
With chains upon my feet
You know that ghost is me
And I will never be set free
As long as I'm a ghost that you can't see
If I could read your mind, love
What a tale your thoughts would tell
Just like a paperback novel
That kind the drugstores sell
When you reach the part
Where the heartache comes
The hero would be me
The heroes often fail
You won't read that book again
Because the ending's just too hard to take
I'd walk away like a movie star
Who gets spurned in a three-way script
Enter number two
The movie queen to play the scene
And bringing all the good things out in me
But for now, love, let's be real
[Chorus]
I never thought I could feel this way
And I got to say that I just don't get it
I don't know where we went wrong
But the feeling's gone
And I just can't get it back
If you could read my mind, love
What a tale my thoughts would tell
Just like an old-time movie
About a ghost from a wishing well
In a castle dark or a fortress strong
With chains upon my feet
Stories always end
And if you read between the lines
You know that I'm just trying to understand
The feelings that you lack
[Chorus]
If you could read my mind, love
What a tale my thoughts would tell
Just like an old-time movie
Out a ghost from a wishing well
In a castle dark or a fortress strong
With chains upon my feet
You know that ghost is me
And I will never be set free
As long as I'm a ghost that you can't see
If I could read your mind, love
What a tale your thoughts would tell
Just like a paperback novel
That kind the drugstores sell
When you reach the part
Where the heartache comes
The hero would be me
The heroes often fail
You won't read that book again
Because the ending's just too hard to take
I'd walk away like a movie star
Who gets spurned in a three-way script
Enter number two
The movie queen to play the scene
And bringing all the good things out in me
But for now, love, let's be real
[Chorus]
I never thought I could feel this way
And I got to say that I just don't get it
I don't know where we went wrong
But the feeling's gone
And I just can't get it back
If you could read my mind, love
What a tale my thoughts would tell
Just like an old-time movie
About a ghost from a wishing well
In a castle dark or a fortress strong
With chains upon my feet
Stories always end
And if you read between the lines
You know that I'm just trying to understand
The feelings that you lack
[Chorus]
If you could read my mind, love
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings
If You Could Read My Mind Lyrics as written by Gordon Lightfoot
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
Thursday
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him.
There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.