Kinks, The - Autumn Almanac Lyrics






From the dew-soaked hedge creeps a crawly caterpillar,
When the dawn begins to crack.
It's all part of my autumn almanac.
Breeze blows leaves of a musty-coloured yellow,
So I sweep them in my sack.
Yes, yes, yes, it's my autumn almanac.

Friday evenings, people get together,
Hiding from the weather.
Tea and toasted, buttered currant buns
Can't compensate for lack of sun,
Because the summer's all gone.

La-la-la-la...
Oh, my poor rheumatic back
Yes, yes, yes, it's my autumn almanac.
La-la-la-la...
Oh, my autumn almanac
Yes, yes, yes, it's my autumn almanac.

I like my football on a Saturday,
Roast beef on Sundays, all right.
I go to Blackpool for my holidays,
Sit in the open sunlight.

This is my street, and I'm never gonna to leave it,
And I'm always gonna to stay here
If I live to be ninety-nine,
'Cause all the people I meet
Seem to come from my street
And I can't get away,
Because it's calling me, (come on home)
Hear it calling me, (come on home)

La-la-la-la...
Oh, my autumn Armagnac
Yes, yes, yes, it's my autumn almanac.
La-la-la-la...
Oh, my autumn almanac
Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.

Bop-bop-bopm-bop-bop, whoa!
Bop-bop-bopm-bop-bop, whoa!
[etc.]





Other Lyrics by Artist

Rand Lyrics

Last Posts

Kinks, The Autumn Almanac Comments
  1. J.... L....

    Better beatles than the beatles.

  2. B.... t....

    This is one of the most sophisticated pop songs l know. Most charting songs have just 3 or 4 chords whilst this has over 20. It goes through a number of interesting changes and, though it seems to return back to its starting point, in fact it finishes in a different key. Overall, l think it's a masterpiece, as are many of Ray Davies songs of this era.

  3. C.... D....

    SERGENT PEPPER GHOST TRACK...............

  4. M.... ....

    75 thumbs down voters are seriously lacking refinement and discrimination! They, in all likelihood, are deficient in many other areas of their lives as well!! Pity them!!

  5. M.... ....

    A truly sublime tune to be treasured for all time!!!!!!!

  6. d.... b....

    Best British pop song of the 60s, in my opinion. It hardly gets more English, really.

  7. T.... ....

    This 3 min song is absolutely packed with enough hooks to fill an album. All hail Ray Davies.

  8. H.... ....

    Loved the Kinks for years, but somehow I never heard this song until yesterday. New favourite song right now :)

  9. T.... T....

    A personal fave and one of their best. One of the highlights of Ray Davies' songwriting mastery.

  10. u.... 0....

    First day of autumn. You know what that means

  11. t.... ....

    a pale song

  12. M.... L....

    The Kinks will always be my favorite ♥ Thank you Ray

  13. K.... ....

    My dad liked his football on a Saturday, we had roast beef on Sundays and went to Blackpool on our holidays, brilliant !

  14. S.... b....

    My favourite Ray Davies song. He easily rivalled my ultimate heroes of song writing, Lennon & McCartney.

  15. K.... C....

    Jeez, this is Autumn in Pennsylvania!

  16. H.... 9....

    Man the Kinks were criminally underrated.
    They deserved to be atleast equal in stature or maybe higher to the Beatles/Stones

  17. j.... ....

    Such an English song, talks about cups of tea and the weather, football and even Blackpool gets a mention !

  18. u.... 0....

    While I stand as a huge beatles fan, the kinks have always appealed to me. It's quite extraordinary how each song ive listened to from the kinks all have their own unique elements, interesting instrumentation and overall sound that makes it stand out. The lyrics and the melody blend together perfectly. Its rather a bold statement, but its true; Ray Davies was just as musically genius as John Lennon.

    And for this song in particular, it's one of my current favorites! So beautifully written. Mr. Davies' work will never fail to amaze me.

  19. a.... b....

    The thumbnail aint the right album though. ...

  20. d.... ....

    Has anyone written a better lyric about England and being English?

  21. R.... K....

    Wrote the best lyrics of any Brit.band.

  22. C.... G....

    Ray's finest hour.

  23. m.... c....

    la la laaaaaa la la la la la l aaaaaaaa ohhhh my autumn almanac

  24. d.... ....

    Possibly my favourite Kinks song, but there are so many....

  25. T.... W....

    The Kinks rule. OK, I love the Beatles but the Kinks and certainly Ray are underrated in every aspect. Still the best band.

  26. D.... M....

    Interesting. He's writing about people living their lives in a very organized, careful planned out way. He seems amused by it & I think he's playfully mocking it. Nice tune 👍

  27. G.... G....

    Brilliant song. Rich in lyrics and melody. Always makes me smile!

  28. p.... e....

    Magnificent, witty, brilliant and so well played
    Could only be the Kinks

  29. m.... ....

    It's an improvement on Dead End Street anyway. There they only had a Sunday joint of bread & honey. Here they get roast beef on Sundays!

  30. D.... ....

    My poor rheumatic back loves this.

  31. J.... M....

    The epitome of jolly old England. Time for a cup of tea.

  32. k.... s....

    lyrically, the beatles, the kinks & the who were far ahead of everybody else.

  33. j.... ....

    puto kpopers
    vxgnxs

  34. G.... L....

    First ever Kinks song i came across :)

  35. T.... L....

    Thank you for this post. I love the Kinks, once had every album (that was no small feat, especially in US) and it is a real treat to hear this song. It is just as good as I remember, the music holds up incredibly well. Ray Davies is a genus song writer and amazingly proficient. So many great songs over a life time. Wish I had my collection now, hell I wish I had a record player. Cheers

  36. c.... p....

    hey I like this shit

  37. C.... ....

    Perhaps the main thing is they really CAN be compared to The Beatles musically.
    U can't say that about many bands of the time.

  38. R.... c....

    Lyrics :

    From the dew-soaked hedge creeps a crawly caterpillar
    When the dawn begins to crack, it's all part of my autumn almanac
    Breeze blows leaves of a musty-colored yellow
    So I sweep them in my sack, yes, yes, yes, it's my autumn almanac

    Friday evenings, people get together
    Hiding from the weather, tea and toasted
    Buttered currant buns, can't compensate
    For lack of sun because the summer's all gone

    La la la la, oh my poor rheumatic back
    Yes, yes, yes, it's my autumn almanac
    La la la la, oh my autumn almanac
    Yes, yes, yes, it's my autumn almanac

    I like my football on a Saturday
    Roast beef on Sundays, all right
    I go to Blackpool for my holidays
    Sit in the open sunlight

    This is my street and I'm never gonna to leave it
    And I'm always gonna to stay here if I live to be ninety-nine
    'Cause all the people I meet, seem to come from my street
    And I can't get away because it's calling me, come on home
    Hear it calling me, come on home

    La la la la, oh my autumn almanac
    Yes, yes, yes, it's my autumn almanac
    La la la la, oh my autumn almanac
    Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes

    Bop bop bop bop bop, whoa
    Bop bop bop bop bop, whoa

  39. J.... I....

    Armonias vocales.

  40. N.... P....

    Esta es mi calle y nunca la voy a dejar... Que letra! parece un tango. Saludos desde Buenos Aires. Vivan los barrios y la gente.

  41. U.... ....

    Try as I might just to accept that on every Kinks video I'm going to find loads of insufferable cretins making ridiculous assertions like ''Far superior to the Beatles. Period!, I'm always going to want to punch the cock who wrote such drivel in the face. I have a profound love for the Kinks and Ray Davis, and he hit the same heights as the Beatles with his work, but never for the same amount of time, album after album, in a few short years going from what the started out as to what the finished at with such an astonishing high quality throughout.

    Just shut the fuck, trying to sound more sophisticated and intelligent because you think you have some special knowledge the mainstream beatles fans don't have. Silly cunts.

  42. -.... -....

    Love love love this English band...long live England 🇬🇧

  43. J.... B....

    Guys, you know, it is possible to like one band while not putting down another ( for advanced users only: you can actually like both bands )

  44. J.... B....

    Haven't listened to much of the Kinks, I must admit, but wow, what a great band, great writing. But why do their fans have such chips on their shoulders regarding other bands ??

  45. S.... W....

    The “come on home” part is so fucking brilliant I can’t describe it

  46. L.... D....

    Loved this song back when I was 15... Still love it. Kinks second best band to come out of England... Behind Oasis.

  47. 1.... o....

    ALMUNYACK

  48. T.... O....

    I like my football on a Saturday,a line that millions of people in the last 50 years will identify with thx Ray.

  49. E.... H....

    The greatest English group.

  50. T.... ....

    I should have listened to this two months ago, but it's never too late.

  51. T.... P....

    Of the many wonderful tunes they have written, this one has some of Ray's best lyrics.

  52. s.... s....

    Terrific!

  53. D.... B....

    Was this song released as a single? Maybe a B side in the UK. Anyone know? I think It's a good song

    D.... B....

    Don Buck was released as a 7” single with Autumn Almanac on A side and Mr Pleasant in B side

  54. J.... B....

    I love this song. Happy

  55. J.... K....

    I love this band!!

  56. s.... ....

    Current favorite song. Ray is such a genius

  57. M.... D....

    ...Dave leaves my band in a shoddy taxi coloured yellow, sooooo i sweep him in my sack, yes yes yes lol

  58. C.... T....

    Im sick of all them comments about beatles vs kinks under every damn kinks video. Shut up and enjoy the music you goddamn experts and critics

  59. �.... ....

    This is good song

  60. J.... C....

    Good old Ray Davies... Who else writes a song with "almanac" in the title? :-)

    J.... C....

    I thought he says "Aw me neck!"   (Me poor rheumatic back)

    J.... C....

    missasinenomine 🤣

    J.... C....

    Didn't Roger Whittaker have an Almanac? I'll get my coat...

  61. p.... ....

    The Kinks were sensational but the Beatles's catalogue dwarfs pretty much every other band

  62. A.... C....

    One of the best songs of all time. Something this shares with the Beatles' "Martha My Dear" is that it pretty much NEVER repeats. Just one rich, complex musical idea after another. That's the problem with groups like the Doors: "Riders on the storm...riders on the storm...riders on the storm...etc." I almost fall asleep. But when you switch it up all the time, it keeps me on my toes.

  63. S.... b....

    God save The Kinks and this incredible perfect song.

  64. J.... C....

    In my country is Autumn now :)

  65. Y.... ....

    The most British song of all time.

    Y.... ....

    Would have fit perfectly in the Village Green album

  66. B.... B....

    Friday evenings!

  67. p.... ....

    The Kinks were the best of the three(Beatles, Stones, Kinks)

  68. M.... ....

    A sublime tune of the highest caliber!!

  69. c.... ....

    ...arise Sir Ray....

  70. J.... P....

    sounds a little  like s mixture of songs from McCartney;s RAM

    J.... P....

    Are you trying to say that Paul ripped off the Kinks on RAM?

  71. A.... M....

    what a tune probably one of their best

  72. u.... t....

    Been reading some of the comments... Any Beatles fan looking for Beatlesque music will probably be rewarded by exploring Kinks and Zombies due to an obvious stylistic link between the three and though sadly the Zombies and Kinks now seem underrated the Beatles led the way (mostly) and were clearly musically far superior. (Not much to do with Martin). This song seems influenced by Good Day Sunshine (as was sunny afternoon?) and maybe Penny Lane, for instance, and by the time it came out the Beatles had already moved on. The other problem with Kinks' songs is many are so very (very) similar. Actually, Ray almost always plays the piano Good Day Sunshine style, Paul only did it once or twice. He is a far more able instrumentalist. But yes it's true Ray had a parochial sensibility that focused on English life more than the Beatles did. But the irony is, the Beatles pre-empted Ray with Eleanor Rigby and not only was he dismissive, but he never wrote anything as good. I'm really enjoying listening to Kinks at the moment (I don't particularly like Waterloo Sunset tho) but their universe feels much smaller than the Beatle one, taking one particular genre and continually exploring it in a similar kind of way whereas the likes of Lennon and Bowie tended to get bored with doing the same thing though they were both more repetitive than is often thought.

    u.... t....

    You can't set any of those bands against the other - they were all unique and didn't imitate or copy the others. They emerged in the same era but in different directions

    u.... t....

    'Not much to do with Martin'. A great deal to do with him actually, which doesn't minimise the Beatles, it simply gives credit where it's due and establishes the perspective more fairly. The Zombies were very different again from either the Beatles or the Kinks.The 'musically far superior' reference is bizarre, especially in reference to the Zombies, in what way was Rod Argent a lesser musician or Colin Blunstone a lesser singer than any member of the other two groups? Perhaps you mean higher/better studio production values for the Beatles? Again, it doesn't really matter, but if you think it does, it was definitely George Martin and not the band who made that happen.

    u.... t....

    unfinished television I think the Kinks were better than any other band at creating a sonic theme and representing it throughout their individual albums. All of their albums really seem like every song fits perfectly, where the Beatles tended to be more varied. Not a slam at the Beatles, I love the scatterbrained insanity of the White Album, but I'm saying the Kinks explored a different sound with each album.

    u.... t....

    Yeah but The Kinks basically started punk rock/heavy metal

    u.... t....

    @unfinished television. Like a lot of people, I'm a huge fan of both groups and have been since the beginning. The whole "who is better" debate strikes me as pointless. Having said that, some of what you write is just your subjective opinion presented as fact and, objectively, I think some of it is just plain wrong. No way were the Beatles "clearly musically far superior"; a lot of the Beatles music, especially the earlier stuff is very simple indeed in terms of chord structure - none of it is as remotely as complex structurally as this song for instance; John wrote endlessly in the keys A and E simply because they were the easiest to play from a fingering point of view; that doesn't make the Beatles music in any way "worse" than the Kinks - that simplicity is part of its strength, but you're confusing elaborate production, which was absolutely to do with George Martin, with musical sophistication. The comments about piano playing abilities are a bit daft; basically Ray doesn't play piano very much at all on Kinks songs, even if he did often compose on it; when you hear a piano, harpsichord or whatever on an earlier Kinks song it's usually being played by a session man (generally Nicky Hopkins) and, of course, from 1970 the Kinks incorporated a keyboard player, John Gosling. What Paul definitely is, is a great bass player - but Pete Quaife was no slouch either. I would suggest that Dave Davies is technically a better rock guitarist than George - no need to agree, that is just my opinion. As for the drummers, both Mick Avory and Ringo are minimalists and all the better for it imho.

    And then there's the lyrics. I've never thought much of Paul as a lyricist - all too cold and contrived, sometimes just plain drivel. John's lyrics tend to come straight from the heart and that is one of their great strengths, perhaps their greatest strength. Ray I think writes from the heart as well, he certainly writes most of the time from personal experience or observation, but he just happens to have a gift for wordplay, also for irony and humour, a true gift that doesn't come across as contrived, even though it's far from artless.

    So, there you go, the two bands that I loved the most growing up and that I still listen to more than any others all these years on. Both great, both different.

  73. h.... ....

    happy october

  74. c.... r....

    oh to be a kid again.....

  75. C.... K....

    My autumn Armagnac!

    C.... K....

    Ha,ha, ha, top man.

  76. J.... N....

    yes yes yes

  77. a.... ....

    masterpiece

  78. C.... W....

    cant get this song out of my head

    C.... W....

    same as me

    C.... W....

    C. W.B. I actually felt it get stuck up there just now

  79. G.... B....

    I love the Kinks one of my favorite bands I can get lost in their music for hours

  80. G.... B....

    I love it :-)

  81. r.... s....

    peeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeople get together!

  82. T.... K....

    there´s still a lot of Waterloo sunset in it and Afternoon Tea, yes it´s not far.

  83. T.... K....

    if there were no beatles, the Kinks were doing my day anytime. God they were so talented.

  84. j.... p....

    what key is this song in

    j.... p....

    +jimmy page G

    j.... p....

    @Backseatsman84 ok

    j.... p....

    Ask Bob.

    j.... p....

    It's in like 3 keys mainly F# major, A major, and C major... it's like a bunch of different songs smooshed as one... it modulates a lot... the intro is in F# major and the first verse is in A major... complicated song, super fun, I love it!! This is pretty accurate> https://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/t/the_kinks/autumn_almanac_ver2_crd.htm

    j.... p....

    @Kim Roberts
    this song is primarliy in a minor 

  85. J.... P....

    I would say while Lennon and McCartney and Brian Wilson launched themselves into a Space Race of Songwriting, Ray Davies distanced himself from that and wrote some of the best songs of his Career. "David Watts" "Waterloo Sunset" "Days." While the Beatles, Beach Boys and the Stones competed like HELL, Ray Davies ignored the competition and pretty much IGNORED them and wrote for Himself.

    J.... P....

    But most of the songs that Lennon wrote were for himself

    J.... P....

    Daniel Dirand, I used to be fluent in French, but not any more; but I think I agree with you.

    J.... P....

    @justmadeit2


    Totally, totally, superb.
    It takes your breath away.
    What can you say?
    "Days I'll remember all my life - days when you can't see wrong from right..."
    We've probably all had them, but Ray was the only one who actually described them.

    J.... P....

    @Daniel Dirand


    Eh bien, tu as raison, mon ami...

    J.... P....

    Julie Pigois rolling stones were never part of the competition

  86. c.... g....

    am i the only one who sings with the kinks more than the Beatles?

    c.... g....

    I disagree there, Glenn.

    c.... g....

    No - same here, firstly because my vocal range is close to Ray's and secondly because I've got a a few Kinks CDs in my car, which is the only place I dare sing, because no-one else can hear me :-)

  87. A.... ....

    The melody and chord progression is just insane for a pop song. Great songwriting! The little fuzzy guitar riff before the "Ohhh!" sounds really cool too.

  88. M.... ....

    The quality of the Kinks song catalogue is vastly superior to The Beatles for my tastes!

  89. P.... ....

    Boy, I got the lyrics wrong...
    Whatever, fun to sing too.
    I'm probably still under the influence of MKULTRA.
    Was listening to this allot in 09.
    Now, kind of miserable...Good thing there are a lot of miserable kinks songs...
    I skip forward to Days...The Irony.

    So, what's your favorite miserable Kinks song?

    P.... ....

    Funny they are praised by the queen.
    Don't think they are being sarcastic/sardonic, though...
    (Okay, maybe a little bit :)
    Just a straight-up evocation of British life...Positive/negative.
    Well, the formally British life...


    Blur was the better brit-pop group cuz they were influenced by good songwriters like the Kinks

  90. A.... B....

    If it wasn't for the Kinks the reality of the 1960s in England might be lost

    A.... B....

    and that's a FACT.

  91. G.... M....

    Great come back that was

  92. G.... M....

    better than the beatles by far long live the kinks

    G.... M....

    come on, haven't you ever heard I am the Walrus?

    G.... M....

    Agreed. Ray Davies is a poet. A true poet, an artist.
    And has had more influence on the music that followed The Kinks than The Beatles. You can hear The Kinks in punk, hard rock, britpop, glam rock, they are everywhere. There's so much Kinks in everything that came out of England, because they embraced being English. And talking about council estates and empire.

    The Kinks Rule. The best band that came out of the British Invasion. (and You Really Got Me was heavier than anything else that came out at the time, The Who wouldn't get that heavy until later.)

    G.... M....

    +Gary Mullan nice joke

    G.... M....

    I mean, this is a great band, but... The Beatles. C'mon

    G.... M....

    Just plain silly really.

  93. J.... S....

    Is the same person singing the whole song? I always feel like his voice changes in the verse where he starts "I like my football, on a Saturday." I noticed in "Well Respected Man" that at one part the singer sounds different as well, the verse where he says "cause he's dying to get at her."

    I just find it interesting because I believe it's always Ray Davies singing, but to me it sounds like 2 different people. Hell, maybe I'm imagining it all, anyone have any insight into this? Am I just crazy?

    J.... S....

    Both of the Davies brothers had a very, very wide range of voices. Just listen to him (Ray) here, then listen to Victoria, then him on the Muswell Hillbillies album.

    J.... S....

    Ray sometimes just adopts a slightly different voice, a different persona if you like, often because he's gently taking the piss - so yes, he slips into a northern English working class accent for the "I like my football" bit - and in "Well Respected Man" and "Dedicated Follower of Fashion" he's mocking the middle classes and that's why he puts on the "posh" voice. If you watch some of the live Kinks stuff on YouTube you'll hear Ray adopting quite a few accents in different songs; he's quite "theatrical" on stage, and did do some stage and TV acting in the 70's

    J.... S....

    During the 'I like football' section Ray is impersonating a long-dead comedian and songwriter called George Formby, including Formby's north of England accent..

  94. e.... p....

    i cant believe it is almost time again to listen to this song. Where did this year go?

  95. J.... L....

    While The Beatles were truly great it was The Kinks that consistently surprised me with their lyrics, subject matter and melodies. Everything was so good...so well written, performed and recorded. The Kinks were actually the thinking man's Beatles and they didn't have a George Martin to embellish their finest tunes -- it was all Ray Davies from the fruit cocktail, into the main course and desserts that followed. And he still does it -- just watch his first recent live version of "Shangri La," with full orchestra and chorus. It's astonishing. The man is a musical genius and never lost any of his biting wit.

    J.... L....

    @John Gleeson. "Nowhere near as prolific"? You do know what "prolific" means, hmm? You clearly have no idea of the extent of Ray's catalogue, and there's hardly a dud amongst them.

    I could argue about the other things as well, although I'm not sure what the difference is between "prolific" and "volumous" (presumably you meant "voluminous"), but I won't.

    I actually love both bands, but get a bit fed up with some of the overblown claims made by Beatles "die-hards", particularly the assertion of subjective opinion as if it was incontrovertible fact.

    J.... L....

    @adolfo rodolfo Shut up you twat. Been a fan of both since a child. The two bands that were really on their own paths and created the most beautiful sounds of that era. But the Kinks come nowhere near the musical evolution that the Beatles took from early dross like the Help album to then drop Rubber Soul, Revolver, Sgt Peppers, Magical Mystery Tour, the White Album, Abbey Road, and all that entailed. Sick of wankers over-blowing the Kinks catalogue as if they come close even after 30 odd albums to the Beatles from 65-70. They don't. Lots of duds from the Kinks, trailing in the Beatles wake like all the others and trying to match that level and failing.


    Acutely, Ray reached the sames levels in his song-writing and wrote some of the most beautiful songs ever. By he, like everyone else, couldn''t go toe to toe with them and match what the Beatles did. Just stop. Arrogant wankers like you infuriate me on this subject.

    J.... L....

    Hey John, well done - Ray is one of a kind! A better storyteller than Harry (Chapin, yes I'm a Yank) with incredible wit, insight, and tremendous melodies. The Kinks are among my "Mt. Rushmore" of rock bands... interesting that I have to always bring them up when we talk about the very best...

    J.... L....

    @Lanny Dante


    Love Ray.
    I had the great good fortune to see him at the Edinburgh Festival a good few years ago; there were just a few chairs, and Ray and a violinist, with Ray telling stories and doing his thing on an acoustic.
    Magical.
    But as you say, the songs just seem to get better and better.
    I love "Over My Head" for example.
    I think it might be about Chrissie - but I don't know.

    J.... L....

    @Dave V


    Paul will never write again - because he's dead.

  96. A.... ....

    This is a cute song

  97. T.... T....

    Actual song for communist future of EU !

  98. C.... G....

    Ray's greatest moment.

  99. E.... R....

    my very favorite kinks song

  100. C.... ....

    My autumn almanac