August October

Song Meaning

The lyrics paint a picture of a relationship that existed across different seasons, now remembered with a sense of loss. The opening lines immediately establish a contrast between the present moment, sitting on a sandhill and singing to the sea, and the past when the narrator knew someone during July and September, with autumn winds blowing. This sets a melancholic tone, hinting at a connection that has since faded. The core of the song seems to be the passage of time and the ephemeral nature of the relationship. The repeated listing of months – August, October, Mid-April, November, May – creates a sense of a relationship that spanned a significant period, perhaps even a full year, but was ultimately fleeting. The phrase "Beckoning hands made you fly" suggests an external force or perhaps the natural progression of events that led to the separation, leaving the narrator to "cry its curtains today." The craft here lies in the stark juxtaposition of past warmth and present desolation. The narrator recalls "August, October the grass grew / The sky was blue and I want you," evoking a sense of vibrant life and desire. This is directly contrasted with the present "look[ing] out my window" as "the world carry[ies] on" without them, and the repeated, almost desperate, "I cry its curtains today." The simple, declarative statements and the stark month names highlight the emotional weight of these memories. This lyrical approach effectively conveys a profound sense of longing and the quiet devastation of a love that couldn't last. The focus on specific, yet generalized, seasonal markers rather than concrete events allows the listener to project their own experiences of lost time and love onto the narrative. The final, insistent repetition of "I cry its curtains today" solidifies the feeling of finality and deep sorrow over what has ended.