Look Who it Was Random video

Guitar: October Song (Including lyrics and chords)

4,295 views · Published 5 October 2010 · 5:05 · Indexed 1 October 2026

Channel: threelegsoman · 2010 · Education

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A request from an old friend, Art (SuperZielke), has brought back memories for me of the Corries, as I know this song as being one they perform on at least one of their albums. Art, however, knows it as a song performed by a band called The Incredible String Band, and their version is the one which is most covered on YouTube. All the versions I have listened to use an open D tuning in their guitar accompaniments, and I could only find tabs on the sites I looked at. I have said before that I do not read tabs, so these have not been of help to me, but after some struggling, I have realised that the accompaniment is a simple 3 chord bash, for even where the tune rises an octave in the even numbered verses, it is still only the chord G, not as I had thought some other more obscure chord.
Here then is my interpretation which is a cross between the ISB and the Corries.
At the beginning of the first verse, I managed to bite my tongue which is the reason for the strange pronunciation of the word song. :-))

October Song 
Incredible String Band
No capo 

D                  G                    D               A7                              D
I'll sing you this October song, oh, there is no song before it.
                           G                                    D                   A7                           D  
The words and tune are none of my own, for my joys and sorrows bore it.
D                 G                           D                    A7       D
Beside the sea the brambly briars in the still of evening,
G                                        D              A7                         D  
Birds fly out behind the sun, and with them I'll be leaving.

The fallen leaves that jewel the ground, they know the art of dying,
And leave with joy their glad gold hearts, in the scarlet shadows lying.
When hunger calls my footsteps home, the morning follows after,
I swim the seas within my mind, and the pine-trees laugh green laughter.

I used to search for happiness, and I used to follow pleasure,
But I have found a door behind my mind, and that's the greatest treasure.
For rulers like to lay down laws, and rebels like to break them,
And the poor priests like to walk in chains, and God likes to forsake them.

I met a man whose name was Time, and he said, "I must be going,"
But just how long ago that was, I have no way of knowing.
Sometimes I want to murder time, sometimes when my heart's aching,
But mostly I just stroll along, the path that he is taking.


I have just produced an eBook containing 50 songs (first volume hopefully provided it sells) which can be seen and purchased by following this link: 

http://store.blurb.com/ebooks/316519-50-songs-from-the-threelegsoman-collection

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