Gordon Lightfoot Sit Down Young Stranger lyrics

I'm standin' at the doorway
My head bowed in my hands
Not knowin' where to sit
Not knowin' where I stand

My father looms above me
For him there is no rest
My mother's arms enfold me
And hold me to her breast

They say you been out wanderin'
They say you traveled far
‽Sit down, young stranger
And tell us who you are”

The room has all gone misty
My thoughts are all in spin
‽Sit down, young stranger
And tell us where you been”

‽Well, I've been up to the mountain
I've walked down by the sea
I never questioned no one
And no one questioned me”

‽My love was given freely
And ofttimes was returned
I never came to borrow
I only came to learn”

‽Sometimes it did get lonely
But it taught me how to cry
And laughter came too easy
For life to pass me by”

‽And I never had a dollar
That I didn't earn with pride
'Cause I had a million daydreams
To keep me satisfied”

‽And will you gather daydreams
Or will you gather wealth?

How can you find your fortune
When you cannot find yourself?”

My mother's eyes grow misty
There's a tremblin' in her hand
‽Sit down, young stranger
I do not understand”

‽And will you try and tell us
You been too long at school
That knowledge is not needed
That power does not rule”

‽That war is not the answer
That young men should not die
Sit down, young stranger
I wait for your reply”

The answer is not easy
For souls are not reborn
To wear the crown of peace
You must wear the crown of thorns

If Jesus had a reason
I'm sure He would not tell
They treated Him so badly
How could He wish them well?

The parlor now is empty
There's nothin' left to say
My father has departed
My mother's gone to pray

There's rockets in the meadows
And ships out on the sea
The answer's in the forest
Carved upon a tree
John loves Mary
Does anyone love me?