Stick Season – English Lyrics

• By: Noah Kahan

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into Noah Kahan's "Stick Season," a masterful folk song that makes learning English both enriching and relatable. Through its vivid storytelling and deeply personal yet universal themes of heartbreak, homesickness, and navigating change, you'll encounter authentic, expressive language. The song's rich vocabulary and relatable narrative, rooted in the specific imagery of New England, offer a unique window into American regionalisms and emotional depth, making it a powerful tool for understanding nuances of feeling and expression in English.

[English]

As you promised me that I was more than all the miles combined

You must have had yourself a change of heart like

Halfway through the drive

Because your voice trailed off exactly as you passed my exit sign

Kept on drivin' straight and left our future to the right

Now I am stuck between my anger and the blame that I can't face

And memories are somethin' even smoking weed does not replace

And I am terrified of weather 'cause I see you when it rains

Doc told me to travel, but there's COVID on the planes

And I love Vermont, but it's the season of the sticks

And I saw your mom, she forgot that I existed

And it's half my fault, but I just like to play the victim

I'll drink alcohol 'til my friends come home for Christmas

And I'll dream each night of some version of you

That I might not have, but I did not lose

Now you're tire tracks and one pair of shoes

And I'm split in half, but that'll have to do

...

So I thought that if I piled something good on all my bad

That I could cancel out the darkness I inherited from dad

No, I am no longer funny, 'cause I miss the way you laugh

You once called me forever, now you still can't call me back

And I love Vermont, but it's the season of the sticks

And I saw your mom, she forgot that I existed

And it's half my fault, but I just like to play the victim

I'll drink alcohol 'til my friends come home for Christmas

And I'll dream each night of some version of you

That I might not have, but I did not lose

Now you're tire tracks and one pair of shoes

And I'm split in half, but that'll have to do

Oh, that'll have to do

My other half was you

I hope this pain's just passin' through

But I doubt it

And I love Vermont, but it's the season of the sticks

And I saw your mom, she forgot that I existed

And it's half my fault, but I just like to play the victim

I'll drink alcohol 'til my friends come home for Christmas

And I'll dream each night of some version of you

That I might not have, but I did not lose

Now you're tire tracks and one pair of shoes

And I'm split in half, but that'll have to do

Have to do

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
stuck /stʌk/ A2	adjective - unable to move or escape from a situation
anger /ˈæŋɡər/ A2	noun - a strong feeling of annoyance or displeasure
blame /bleɪm/ A2	noun - responsibility for a fault or wrong verb - to say or think that someone is responsible for a fault
terrified /ˈtɛrɪfaɪd/ B1	adjective - extremely frightened
weather /ˈwɛðər/ A1	noun - the state of the atmosphere at a place and time
COVID /ˈkoʊvɪd/ B1	noun - Coronavirus Disease, a contagious disease caused by a virus
exists /ɪɡˈzɪsts/ A2	verb - to have actual being; be real
alcohol /ˈælkəˌhɒl/ A2	noun - a liquid that can make people drunk
version /ˈvɜrʒən/ B1	noun - a particular form of something
tire /ˈtaɪər/ A2	noun - a rubber cover fitted around a wheel
tracks /træks/ A2	noun - marks left by something that has passed
split /splɪt/ A2	verb - to divide into parts adjective - divided or separated
darkness /ˈdɑrknɪs/ A2	noun - the absence of light
inherited /ɪnˈhɛrɪtɪd/ B1	verb - received from a predecessor or ancestor
sticks /stɪks/ A1	noun - a long, thin piece of wood
victim /ˈvɪktɪm/ A2	noun - a person harmed or killed by someone or something

Key Grammar Structures

• As you promised me that I was more than all the miles combined

  ➔ Subordinate clause with 'that'

  ➔ The phrase 'that I was more than all the miles combined' is a subordinate clause introduced by 'that', providing additional information about the promise.

• Because your voice trailed off exactly as you passed my exit sign

  ➔ Adverbial clause with 'as'

  ➔ The phrase 'as you passed my exit sign' is an adverbial clause using 'as' to indicate simultaneity between the voice trailing off and passing the exit sign.

• Now I am stuck between my anger and the blame that I can't face

  ➔ Relative clause with 'that'

  ➔ The phrase 'the blame that I can't face' is a relative clause introduced by 'that', describing the specific type of blame.

• And I am terrified of weather 'cause I see you when it rains

  ➔ Contraction ('cause) and adverbial clause

  ➔ 'Cause is a contraction of 'because', and 'when it rains' is an adverbial clause indicating the time of the action.

• I'll drink alcohol 'til my friends come home for Christmas

  ➔ Contraction ('til) and future tense

  ➔ 'Til is a contraction of 'until', and 'I'll drink' is in the future tense, indicating a future action.

• That I might not have, but I did not lose

  ➔ Contrastive conjunction ('but')

  ➔ The conjunction 'but' is used to contrast the ideas of 'might not have' and 'did not lose'.

• And I'm split in half, but that'll have to do

  ➔ Contraction ('that'll') and modal verb ('have to')

  ➔ 'That'll' is a contraction of 'that will', and 'have to' is a modal verb expressing necessity.

• My other half was you

  ➔ Subject-verb inversion in past tense

  ➔ The sentence uses subject-verb inversion for emphasis, placing 'was' before 'you'.