After The Gold Rush by Neil Young
1970 poem set to that gentle, rugged piano. Acoustic, simple, yet complex as you want it served up. Maybe it's about Vietnam, maybe it's a statement about ecology and the turn of the decade, maybe it's just a looping verse written when the libations were setting in just right.
Remember this is the guy who got pissed off when he heard about Kent State and walked off into the woods with a piece of paper and wrote "Ohio" one afternoon. A poet in my book who plays a damn fine harmonica.
Live Rust version is the best in my opinion. Bought the album in '78, cassette tape in '82 and the CD a couple months ago. Listened to it on Sunday on the way back from the Rams game and I never even noticed the traffic. Some of those songs bring a tear to my eye, especially that one for some reason. Big tough weathered NFL fan driving down highway 40 sobbing about time gone by. Songs that squeeze out that kind of emotion transcend basic music I think. That's why it's my favorite.
