Oh, it’s a long, long while from May to December,
& the days grow short when you reach September.
The autumn weather turns the leaves to flame,
& I haven’t got the time for the waiting game.
Oh, the days dwindle down to a precious few;
September, November. . . .
& these few precious days I’ll spend with you,
These precious days I’ll spend with you.
It is only the 2nd day of September, we have another couple of weeks of summer to enjoy, & late September & October can be glorious in Portland, but I still feel real melancholy for the end of summer. Summer is my favorite season & August is my favorite month (it has 31 days & no holidays). I know my friends in NYC & Chicago had the coolest & wettest summers ever while Portland had a record 10 days in a row over 90 degrees, including 5 days over 100. Still, there is now a hint of Autumn in the air, especially in the morning. I find myself drawn to this song, as I have been many times in my life. It is from a musical- Knickerbocker Holiday (1938) with music by Kurt Weill & lyrics by Maxwell Anderson. It is a beautiful song that makes me a little sad… in a good way. I offer you 2 versions, by 2 of my favorite, but very different singers. I once stole a look at my audition card ( for Side By Side By Sondheim… I did get cast) & the director had written- “a young Jimmy Durante”. I was very flattered.
October- because it leads up to the high holiday of Halloween around here. Is when the lost magic shows up. And the leaves turn in October here.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting - there is a hint of autumn here in Delaware as well. But, oh, the music of Kurt Weill - could anything be more amazing? My favorite version is by Lotte Lenya [I adore her and think she will be an upcoming Great Woman] but Lou Reed captures another side to the song that is just incredible. But I always wanted to be his boy-toy...
ReplyDeleteLOVE this song, and I love your reminiscing about the Keanu....
ReplyDeletebut did he seem gay to you????? he does to me...
and he can be such a completely AWFUL actor as well as an amazing one
anon-
ReplyDeleteExcept for the two hours when we were having hot, explosive, monkey sex... I am not sure if Keanu is gay. I have the worst gaydar ever. His name is Hawaiian for "cool breeze over the mountains", which Mr. Reeves told me was also the name of that one position he insisited that we try.
many thx for posting the Durante vid. I heard him sing that in Las Vegas decades ago.
ReplyDeleteSept is my favorite month because here in the mid-Atlantic region the days are still quite warm but the evenings are cool, the humidity is low, and its lovely to be outdoors.
ReplyDeleteI love this song too, and recall singing it in high school with a large concert choir. The music and lyrics are equally haunting and beautiful.