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Stick Season lyrics and meaning explained by Noah Kahan
19 February 2024, 18:04 | Updated: 27 March 2024, 12:33
What is the meaning of the hit song Stick Season? The story behind the tune and lyrics explained by Noah Kahan.
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Stick Season by Noah Kahan has quickly become one of the most popular songs of the moment, with the folk-pop singer songwriter referencing a specific season in his homeland of Vermont in the hit title.
Noah, 27, first released a small section of Stick Season back in 2020 on TikTok, and was later inspired to share the chorus after it blew up on the video streaming app.
In 2022, the full and finished song was released and is now having a huge moment as Noah enjoys almost over-night fame amid his Grammy, Brit and Billboard nominations.
As the song takes off, many listeners are left asking what the true meaning behind Stick Season is and what the title of the song refers to.
What is the meaning of Stick Season?
Stick Season is the term used for a certain time of year between Autumn and Winter and is used frequently by people from Vermont, where Noah Kahan was born and grew up.
Speaking to Genius, he explained: “There’s a lot of beef between New Hampshire and Vermont, so I have to say I was from both, but I’d call myself a Vermonter, but it’s definitely a song about the time in Vermont — stick season — when all the leaves are off the trees.
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"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."
He added: “It’s a time of year that’s very specific to where I grew up and, you know, I was concerned that I might alienate people, but it was cool to see it connect with people, and people have their own meanings of what stick season might mean to them or what their hometowns mean to them, so it was cool to see it connect outside of New England."
Watch his explanation here:
Stick Season by Noah Kahan lyrics
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
Who is Noah Kahan?
Noah Kahan is a 27-year-old American singer-songwriter best known for his hit Stick Season.
His career kicked off in 2017 when he signed to Republic Records and two years later released his debut album Busyhead. This was followed by his second album, I Was / I Am, which was released in September 2021.
In October 2020, at the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, Noah started posting clips from a song called Stick Season after it gained a lot of interest on TikTok. In July 2022, he released the full version of the song, followed by his third album in October of the same year, also called Stick Season.
In 2023, Noah was nominated for two Billboard Music Awards, followed by two nominations in 2024 at the Grammy Awards and Brit Awards.
