Gold Dust

[Sandy Denny]

Sandy Denny’s song Gold Dust is an attempt to forge a new sound, being very American and very funky. It appears in studio form on her 1977 album Rendezvous, and live, from her last concert at the Royalty Theatre on 27 November 1977, on The Attic Tracks Vol. 3, The Attic Tracks CD and on Gold Dust - Live at the Royalty. Joining Sandy and Trevor Lucas are Phil Palmer and Rob Hendry on electric guitar, Pete Willsher on pedal steel guitar, Pat Donaldson on bass and Dave Mattacks on drums.

Lyrics

Sandy Denny sings Gold Dust on Rendezvous

If your eyes are blue you know the rest
Champagne if it’s very cool
It’s never very formal how you dress
For oysters by the swimming pool
Then slip away into the mountainside
Like the man in the Lazy E’
It’s great to have a place where you can hide
Why you must amazes me

Chorus (repeated after each verse):
Golden,
Where are you?
Sold on gold dust

I shuttled all around America
From New York to Los Angeles
Nervous breakdown later, there we were
From Liberty to redwood trees
A friend of mine, she hitched from east to west
In time to hear my final song
It seems to me she tried her very best
She is a good companion

He stores away the moments of her smiles
As if they were rare butterflies
Stalks his prey for miles and miles and miles
Then barters for the merchandise
When Life it drags the likes of me around
Just when we need some time alone
You have a simple mansion underground
Without address or telephone

Sandy Denny sings Gold Dust live on The Attic Tracks Vol. 3 and Gold Dust - Live at the Royalty

This version is a bit different. The last two lines of verse one are:

It’s nice to have a place where you can hide
For why you must amazes me

and the last verse is:

He stores away the moments of her smiles
As if they were rare butterflies
Stalks his prey for miles and miles and miles
And barters for the merchandise
As time it drags the likes of me around
Just when we need some time alone
You have a private mansion underground
Without address or telephone