The side men come out first
John Stockfish, bass guitar
Looks at the world through the eyes of Nashville
The riverboats and Charlie McCoy
He's just a boy

Lead guitarist Red Shea
Who's really come a long, long way
Since rhythm rocker jingle jangle
And go Red!

Then Lightfoot
Edwardian, southernly striped
His hair blondish and poetic
He is less than vinyl perfect
His foot is a precise anchor for the husk and vibrance of his voice

He is the image of Alberta
A side street near Chicago
The grim beauty of Toronto

[Chorus]
He is an artist, he is an artist
He is an artist painting Sistine masterpieces
Of pine and fir and blackwoods
Still echoes long ago
The winter night of Black July
And then the outcome of an early Cleveland rainfall
I sit softly among the rest
Waiting there for him to paint his pictures
And as the go-go-girl went around
And our heads were in a spin
I thought above the crossroads in the early morning rain
And Rosanna

I'm not saying that I'm sorry
I'm just telling you this story
And when Lightfoot's magic calls
You can write it on your walls
Because that's what walls are for

[Chorus]