Okay, I am now officially on a Fairport Convention kick. I really don’t know what it is about Sandy Denny’s voice that gets to me so. It was not a particularly strong voice; sometimes she barely seemed to be singing above a whisper. And yet a more expressive voice I’ve never heard. Whether it was an old English ballad or an original composition, every word seems to flow from her heart by way of her soul. I think she could sing the alphabet and it would move me to tears.
This song is more well known in this country in the version by Judy Collins, but this version is the original and, in my opinion, far and way the best. Enjoy.
-Smith
Across the evening sky, all the birds are leaving
But how can they know it’s time for them to go?
Before the winter fire, I will still be dreaming
I have no thought of time
For who knows where the time goes?
Who knows where the time goes?
Sad, deserted shore, your fickle friends are leaving
Ah, but then you know it’s time for them to go
But I will still be here, I have no thought of leaving
I do not count the time
For who knows where the time goes?
Who knows where the time goes?
And I am not alone while my love is near me
I know it will be so until it’s time to go
So come the storms of winter and then the birds in spring again
I have no fear of time
For who knows how my love grows?
And who knows where the time goes?
Denny must have been something of an inspiration for Eva Cassidy.
Denny has a raw talent whereas Cassidy puts it over the top.
My opinion though, being a big Eva Cassidy fan.
YouTube Eva and I think you’ll ‘hear’ what I mean.
Good call on Denny. The woman definitely had some serious feeling.
~m