Unpacking the Powerful Lyrics and Meaning of Noah Kahan’s Stick Season

6th April, 2024

New England Melancholy

Noah Kahan’s hit single Stick Season beautifully captures the bittersweet melancholy of late fall in his native New England, resonating deeply with listeners who find solace in its poignant lyrics and folk-pop melodies.

The song, which first made waves in 2020 through a snippet shared on TikTok by Noah, aged 27 at the time, officially arrived on July 8, 2022, as the lead single for Kahan’s album of the same name.

The album itself was released on October 14, 2022, via Republic Records, marking a significant milestone in Kahan’s career.

The initial release on TikTok, where the chorus particularly blew up, showcased the song’s raw emotional depth and lyrical prowess, hinting at the impact it was destined to make.

Following the song’s and album’s success, Kahan released an expanded edition, “Stick Season (We’ll All Be Here Forever),” on June 9, 2023, further delving into the themes and stories that had captivated his audience.

The final iteration, “Stick Season (Forever),” was released on February 9, 2024, solidifying the song’s place in the hearts of listeners and in the music industry.

During the tracking week ending February 17, 2024, “Stick Season” peaked at #11 on the Billboard Hot 100, a testament to its enduring appeal and Kahan’s growing influence as an artist.

This ascent was accompanied by almost overnight fame for Noah, punctuated by Grammy, Brit, and Billboard nominations, highlighting a remarkable journey from a viral TikTok snippet to critical and commercial acclaim.

Capturing a Seasonal Transition

The song’s title refers to the transitional period between fall and winter in Vermont, when the once vibrant trees have shed their leaves, leaving a bare, stark landscape.

As Kahan explained to Genius, “It’s a term that was used by some of the older folks in the town I grew up in to describe this really miserable time of year when it’s just kind of grey and cold, and there’s no snow yet, and the kind of beauty of the foliage is done.”

Nostalgic Storytelling

More than just a description of the New England seasons, Stick Season utilises this transitional period as a poetic metaphor for life’s upheavals and growth.

Over delicate folk guitar arpeggios, Kahan spins a wistful tale, reflecting on lost love and the resounding impact it’s had on his psyche.

Lyrics Unpack Heartbreak and Transition

The poignant lyrics of Stick Season unpack the complex emotions surrounding heartbreak and major life transitions.

Kahan’s vivid storytelling transports listeners to the stark, melancholy landscape of rural Vermont in late fall as he grapples with the aftermath of a devastating breakup.

In the opening verse, he sings of a promise broken and a relationship’s demise:

“As you promised me that I was more than all the miles combined / You must’ve 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.”

The vivid imagery captures the emotional whiplash of having the rug pulled out from under him, with his partner abruptly exiting his life without warning or resolution.

Kahan is left stumbling through the vulnerability and confusion, admitting, “I am stuck between my anger and the blame that I can’t face.“

As the chorus arrives, he draws a powerful parallel between this romantic upheaval and the seasonal transition of stick season in Vermont—two periods defined by loss, emptiness, and a longing for what’s been left behind even as the inescapable march of time and change presses onward.

With devastating honesty, Kahan lays bare the heartbreak’s isolating effect, singing, “And I saw your mom; she forgot that I existed.”

Yet he finds solace in cherishing memories and fragments of the relationship, like “dreams” of an idyllic “version of you / That I might not have, but I did not lose.“

The emotional core of the song explores the messy, torn duality of trying to move on while remaining anchored to the past and the person who became your “other half.”

Kahan wrestles with these conflicting mindsets, hoping the “pain’s just passin’ through” while admitting, “But I doubt it.”

It’s an endless emotional loop as merciless as the changing seasons, each evoking what’s been lost while hinting at the rebirth and renewal to come.

By bringing profound specificity and a rawly crafted feeling to this universal experience, Stick Season cements Kahan as one of music’s most insightful young songwriters and storytellers.

Lyrical Vulnerability

The stripped-back instrumentation of acoustic guitar, subtle piano, and ambient textures provides an intimate canvas for Kahan’s profoundly personal lyricism.

He holds little back, exposing raw vulnerability as he sings, “And I am terrified of weather, ’cause I see you when it rains.”

This vulnerability deepens as the song progresses, with the singer admitting, “No, I am no longer funny ’cause I miss the way you laugh.“

Warm Folk Production

Noah Kahan Stick Season Album Cover 2022

While the lyricism tugs at the heartstrings, the warmly organic folk-pop production uplifts the melancholy tone.

Kahan’s distinctive vocals shine with an understated intensity, blending into the plucked guitar work.

The subtle string flourishes and ambient sounds create a comforting cocoon around the raw lyricism.

Stick Season was produced by Gabe Simon and Noah Kahan and written solely by Kahan himself.

By infusing a timeless folk aesthetic with modern pop sensibilities, Kahan has crafted a powerful lead single that bodes well for his extensive album cycle.

The poignant songwriting and intricate unpacking of emotional complexity showcase Kahan’s maturation as a profoundly insightful songwriter able to transform the personal into the universal.

If Stick Season is any indication, Kahan’s album trilogy is a resonant exploration of life’s bittersweet transitions and the emotional “stick seasons” we all must endure.

With skillful lyricism and instrumentation evoking the comforting melancholy of late fall in New England, it’s a folk-pop gem arriving just in time for the transition into winter.

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Noah Kahan Stick Season Lyrics

Verse 1
As you promised me that I was more than all the miles combined
You must’ve 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

Chorus
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

Verse 2
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

Bridge
Oh, that’ll have to do
My other half was you
I hope this pain’s just passin’ through
But I doubt it

Chorus
And I love Vermont, but it’s theseason 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