Autumn Breeze

Track #8 of Umm…

This song was actually inspired by a young man whose main musical interest is heavy metal. A friend of my son, he listened to an early mix of “I’m Not Stopping” and was impressed by its message. “I like songs like that,” he said, “songs about life.” Then he remarked that he especially liked this line: “Just a few more times to feel that gentle autumn breeze / before the winter snow.”

Within a few days I had written this song. It comes off like a folk song even though virtual classical instruments—harp, piccolo, flute and bassoon—are used for the accompaniment. It’s my personal favorite on this album.

Autumn breeze, soft and sweet,
Tossing leaves so they tumble at my feet;
Birds fly south in migration,
Quite oblivious to our situation—
How I wish I could fly!
Oh, how grand just to soar in the sky,
Unencumbered by gravity, floating on air,
And seemingly void of all care.

Autumn breeze, harvest moon,
Stark reminders that winter’s coming soon;
It won’t be long before snow is in the air,
And white will replace all these colors everywhere—
Oh, our lives are so brief,
Fraught with change, disappointment and grief;
Add bereavement and loss to our frenzy-paced days,
And all meaning gets lost in a haze.

Autumn breeze, may your beauty remain all year long,
Amid gladness and sorrow;
Were it not for the beautiful things in this world,
We might all be despairing tomorrow!

Autumn breeze, gently blow,
Take my heart closer to long ago,
When the world was a simpler place;
Now I’m wishing that I could erase
The annoying distractions that plague us today—
Autumn breeze, please don’t blow away.