Gordon Lightfoot - Cotton Jenny (Live in Chicago 1979) Soundboard

Released in 1971 on the Summer Side of Life album, "Cotton Jenny" is a lighthearted, upbeat folk song about a man’s love for a woman named Cotton Jenny, set against a simple, rural backdrop. The song’s repetitive chorus emphasizes the cyclical, joyful nature of their relationship despite financial struggles.

Cotton Jenny Lyrics:

There's a house on a hill
By a worn down weathered old mill
In the valley below where the river winds
There's no such thing as bad times
And a soft southern flame, oh Cotton Jenny's her name
She wakes me up when the sun goes down
And the wheels of love go 'round
Wheels of love go 'round
Love go 'round, love go 'round
A joyful sound
I ain't got a penny for Cotton Jenny to spend
But then the wheels go 'round
When the new day begins
I go down to the cotton gin
And I make my time worthwhile to them
Then I climb back up again
And she waits by the door, oh Cotton Jenny I'm sore
She rubs my back and she combs my hair
And the wheels of love go 'round
Wheels of love go 'round
Love go 'round, love go 'round
A joyful sound
I ain't got a penny for Cotton Jenny to spend
But then the wheels go 'round
Many tears that I've cried
Many tears that I've tried
And I turn my back on the world outside
Till I get to the place where it's warm and kind
Then I lay right down with my Cotton Jenny, so fine
She wakes me up when the sun goes down
And the wheels of love go 'round
Wheels of love go 'round
Love go 'round, love go 'round
A joyful sound
I ain't got a penny for Cotton Jenny to spend
But then the wheels go 'round
Wheels of love go 'round
Love go 'round, love go 'round
A joyful sound
I ain't got a penny for Cotton Jenny to spend
But then the wheels go 'round

Gordon Lightfoot was a Canadian singer-songwriter who achieved worldwide success and helped define the singer-songwriter era of the 1970s. Widely considered one of Canada's greatest songwriters, he had numerous gold and platinum albums, and his songs have been covered by many of the world's most renowned musical artists. Lightfoot's biographer Nicholas Jennings wrote, "His name is synonymous with timeless songs about trains and shipwrecks, rivers and highways, lovers and loneliness."
Lightfoot's songs, including "For Lovin' Me", "Early Morning Rain", "Steel Rail Blues", "Home From The Forest", and "Ribbon of Darkness", a number one hit on the U.S. country chart for Marty Robbins, brought him recognition from the mid-1960s. Chart success with his own recordings began in Canada in 1962 with the No. 3 hit "(Remember Me) I'm the One" and led to a series of major hits at home and abroad throughout the 1970s. Robbie Robertson of the Band described Lightfoot as "a national treasure". Bob Dylan said, "I can't think of any Gordon Lightfoot song I don't like. Every time I hear a song of his, it's like I wish it would last forever." Lightfoot was the featured musical performer at the opening ceremonies of the 1988 Winter Olympics and received numerous honours and awards during his career.