Just found this posting while looking for my old thread with the correct words.

Joe says:
In the thread Snuffy referred to, there are two "corrected" versions of the lyrics, and they disagree

Joe, I have just put my posted words and those from the later thread (posted by Andrew Wigglesworth, saying virtually exactly the same thing as I said nearly five years earlier about the disservice done to a beautiful lyric by a flawed transcription) side by side and compared them.

In the whole song there is ONE WORD which differs between the two versions; I have:

Years pass by and they're gone with the speed of birds in flight

while Andrew posts:

Years pass by and are gone with the speed of birds in flight

While of course what you say is true in general, I think the concensus on this song is extremely clear from the thread discussed, from those who know well the original version of the song as sung by the author.

Joe says: If you submit corrections, please try to make absolutely sure what you have is correct

I do, Joe. I think you probably know a bit by now about which Mudcatters post carefully and thoughtfully?