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If You Could Read My Mind Lyrics

Artist: Gordon Lightfoot

If You Could Read My Mind
Gordon Lightfoot

If you could read my mind love,
what a tale my thoughts could 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.
You know that ghost is me
and I will never be set free
as long as I'm a ghost that you can see.

If I could read your mind love,
what a tale your thoughts could tell.
Just like a paperback novel,
the kind the drugstore sells.
When you reach the part where the heartaches
come the hero would be me.
Heroes often fail.
And you won't read that book again
because the endings just to hard to take.

I walk away like a movie star
who gets burned in a three way script.
Enter number two, a movie queen
to play the scene of bringing all the good things out in me,
but for now love lets be real.

I never thought I could act this way
and I've got to say that I just don't get it.
I don't know where we went wrong
but the feelings gone and I just can't get it back.

If you could read my mind love,
what a tale my thoughts could 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 the story always ends.
And if you read between the lines
you'll know that I'm just trying to understand
the feeling that you left.

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 feelings gone
and I just can't get it back.

Comments/Interpretations

by Ralph Winchester on 6/2/2008 2:55pm
GORDON THANK YOU FOR THE GREAT MUSIC THAT HAS ENDURED MY LIFETIME!!

by Scott on 10/6/2010 12:14am
the feeling that you left.

is actually.

The feelings that you lack.

The way it he sings it these days is...

the feelings the we lack.

by JJ on 11/30/2010 12:07am
I agree with Scott...

by remo williams on 12/3/2010 5:29am
agrred with Scott too. wished that i can live on that era, where music speaks for itself...

by MARCEL BRADET on 12/9/2010 10:55am
THIS MAN KNOWS WHAT WORDS MEANS, AND THEY ARE TOUGHTS WORDS, AND MAY BE EXPLAIN, BY AN LIFE FULL OF CONTRADICTIONS AND EXPERIENCE, AND EACH OF US AS HUMAN CAN RELAY TO THIS SONG. A REALITY THAT EACH INDIVIDUAL CAN GET FOR HIMSELF

by Donnals on 7/9/2011 9:26am
@ remo williams
I'm not surprised you agree with him. You really have a hard time communicating...like many who's only language is English.

by connie on 8/30/2011 12:41pm
Yes, I noticed immediately that error: It is "the feeling that you LACK."

Isn't GL great? Heard him at Tanglewood and was stunned at the power of his voice .... just doesn't come across (as good as the records are) on recordings. He is great.

by ricky m on 9/8/2011 7:41pm
;)

by Palmer on 10/17/2011 5:00pm
Just read the reason for writing this song, the break up of his first marriage. I wonder how it effects his present wife, hearing this over and over again. I also like "I'm Not Supposed To Care" Same emotion. Been there and done that.

by saviour from malta on 2/20/2012 7:57am
super tune and super+ lyrics.

by trevor on 3/24/2012 3:24pm
ditto ralph winchester above.

by rich on 4/28/2012 1:58am
lack rhymes with back, it's hard to even speak these lyrics out loud without running out of breath... This man is one of the 10 great man, voice, & acoustic guitar, singer, songwriting performers that's ever lived, a trailblazer in an Era of Trailblazers and one of the most powerful vocalist-musician-lyricists to ever kick my ass in an all acoustic genre!!!!!

by Stansfield on 8/29/2012 3:39am
A beautiful, poignant,sad song. Wonderfully written and performed by Gordon Lightfoot. This a REAL song that speaks to me and I bet many others.

by Genie on 11/14/2013 5:46pm
It's also "when you reach the part where the heartaches START," not " ... heartaches come."

by Genie on 11/14/2013 5:49pm
Minor lyric correction:
It should be
"If you could read my mind, love,
what a tale my thoughts could tellm
Just like an old time movie 'bout a ghost from a wishing wel
In a castle dark or a fortress strong
with chains upon my feet.
But stories always end,
And if you read between the lines ..."

by Leonard Gould on 10/3/2019 2:18am
I remember listening to Gordon Lightfoot on the radio when I was in the USAF in the 1970's,brings back many good memories!