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Lyr Req: Autumn Gold (Andy Irvine)

17 Apr 01 - 02:27 PM (#442715)
Subject: Title: My youth(?)is clothed in autumn..
From: Mad Maudlin

Hello all,

I'm looking for the title and author of this song: (I know both, but I just can't remember. That's old age for you :-)Also, I'd be very happy if someone could fill in the gaps, since I just can't remember the words there...

Thanks very much,

Mad Maudlin

My youth (?) is clothed in autumn shades,
My summer sun begins to fade.
Fading away with the waning year,
Changing my temper now autumn is here.

Time to leave my friends behind,
I leave this town with you on my mind
The dead leaves are burning, the year is decaying
Winter returning .....(?)

One week ago we walked right here,
I never dreamed life's death was so near.
We laughed and played the summer through
The sun is going and I must go, too.

Autumn gold and winter snow,
The sun goes south, it's north I must go
Leaving this town and friends that I know
Its late in the year there'll be....(?)

When the sun returns I'll come there, too
I'll write a song, I'll sing it for you.


17 Apr 01 - 05:41 PM (#442862)
Subject: RE: Help: Title: My youth(?)is clothed in autumn.
From: Sorcha

This is vaguely familiar.....Google didn't help.


18 Apr 01 - 03:40 AM (#443230)
Subject: RE: Help: Title: My youth(?)is clothed in autumn.
From: Mad Maudlin

I haven't found anything at Google either...how I hate it when you have something at the tip of your tongue (I'm not an English native speaker, is it the right expression?)and just can't remember it...Pity, it's such a beautiful song!


19 Apr 01 - 01:22 AM (#444117)
Subject: RE: Help: Title: My youth(?)is clothed in autumn.
From: wysiwyg

Anyone else?

~S~


21 Apr 08 - 08:12 AM (#2321394)
Subject: Lyr Add: AUTUMN GOLD (Andy Irvine)
From: Jim Dixon

Found at China to Galway, an Andy Irvine fan web site:

AUTUMN GOLD
Andy Irvine

My mood is clothed in autumn's shades.
My summer sun begins to fade,
Fading away with the waning year,
Changing my tempo now autumn is here.

Time to leave my friends behind
I leave this town with you on my mind.
The dead leaves are burning. The year is decaying,
Winter returning, no use in delaying.

One week ago we walked by here.
I never dreamed life's death was so near.
We laughed and played the summer through.
The sun is going and I must go too.

Autumn gold, the winter snow,
There's some goes north but it's north I must go,
Leaving this town and the friends that I know.
It's late in the year. There'll be ice and snow.

When the sun returns, I'll come back too.
I'll write a song and I'll sing it for you.


21 Apr 08 - 10:40 AM (#2321500)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: My youth(?)is clothed in autumn.
From: GUEST,leeneia

A fine song. Thanks for posting.

Are you sure about the line 'There's some goes north but it's north I must go,'?


21 Apr 08 - 10:50 AM (#2321506)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: My youth(?)is clothed in autumn.
From: Jim Dixon

That sounds fishy to me, too, but I only have what I copied. I don't know how to correct it.


07 Jan 10 - 11:26 PM (#2806263)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Autumn Gold (Andy Irvine)
From: GUEST

I was listening to this a few hours ago, and I think it was

'the sun goes south but it's north I must go'

Love the song, can anyone give a rough chord structure?


07 Jan 10 - 11:37 PM (#2806265)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Autumn Gold (Andy Irvine)
From: GUEST,999

"Brady jokes that he cursed Irvine as he waded through the complexities of the chord structures on Autumn Gold. Andy did likewise as he struggled..."

from the www.

Whatever they are, they ain't easy by the looks of it.


08 Jan 10 - 06:20 AM (#2806421)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Autumn Gold (Andy Irvine)
From: GUEST,Guest - Jim Younger

You can find a 'reading' of the chord structure to Autumn Gold in 'Aiming For the Heart', a lovely hardback small format book of Andy's songs, published in Germany in 1988 - ISBN 3-923555-01-6 (the number might have changed since 2007?) Introduction by Paul Brady and illustrations by Eamonn O'Doherty (of 'The Northern Fiddler' fame).

As is the case with many of Andy's arrangements, the chords are a guide to his subtle, almost counterpoint, style. No point writing them out for you here, as there is a lot of information in the 'reading' (e.g. Cm9 with B-flat in the bass) which you would do well to look at.

Look for the book, and listen to the record. There's a transcription of Smecano Horo in the book too, a grand bonus!


08 Jan 10 - 06:25 AM (#2806425)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Autumn Gold (Andy Irvine)
From: GUEST,Guest - Jim Younger

I should have said there are trad songs in the book as well - a pretty comprehensive account of Andy's repertoire around 1988.


08 Jan 10 - 12:56 PM (#2806726)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Autumn Gold (Andy Irvine)
From: GUEST,matt milton

If this is the song I think it is, then I've played it (well, a from-memory approximation) on the mandolin a few times, simply because I think I was playing something that basically turned into it.

Having the tuning GDAE really helps - It'd be a lot tougher to work out a guitar arrangement.

I love that tune. That one and 'Arthur McBride' I think are high points of both Brady and Irvine (although you have to be careful playing 'Arthur' not to do it too sweetly, cos it starts to sound a bit 'Boyzone')


09 Jan 10 - 11:56 AM (#2807536)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Autumn Gold (Andy Irvine)
From: GUEST,Guest - Jim Younger

For Matt: there's no indication of Andy's tuning in the book I mentioned. I assume Andy has his top string tuned down a tone as he often does (so a mandolin tuned in this way would be GDAD). As I say, only an assumption - it's a long time since I heard the song. (And the Cm9 with B flat in the bass might have that inversion played on the guitar ... or at least the B flat.)
As for the Boyzone bit about 'Arthur', the first time I heard it, back in the 70s I did think 'Burt Bacharach' - but then BB wrote some classics, and PB has always been plugged into pop.