Song meaning of Stick Season by Noah Kahan

The song "Stick Season" by Noah Kahan explores the aftermath of a failed relationship. The lyrics depict the narrator's feelings of disappointment, anger, and longing for what was lost.

In the first verse, the narrator reveals that their partner had a change of heart during a journey, abandoning their relationship. The narrator is stuck between feeling angry and blaming themselves, unable to fully process their emotions. The memories they shared cannot be replaced, even by distractions like smoking weed. The mention of COVID and the inability to travel suggests that the narrator feels trapped in their pain, unable to escape or seek solace elsewhere.

The chorus reflects the narrator's conflicted emotions. They love their current environment, represented by Vermont, but it is also a reminder of their loneliness. They encounter their ex-partner's mother who seems to have forgotten about their existence, intensifying their feelings of loss. The narrator admits to playing the victim and using alcohol to cope, eagerly awaiting the arrival of friends for Christmas. They hold onto the hope of dreams that provide alternate versions of their lost love, allowing them to cling to some semblance of connection.

In the second verse, the narrator attempts to counterbalance the darkness inherited from their father by accumulating positive experiences. However, they realize that without their partner, their humor and happiness have faded. The partner once promised them forever, but now they refuse to return calls.

The bridge reveals the narrator's deep longing for their lost love. They acknowledge that they are incomplete without the other person and hope that the pain they are experiencing is temporary, although they doubt this possibility.

Overall, "Stick Season" conveys a sense of emotional turmoil, longing, and the struggle to move on after a significant loss. The lyrics evoke a bittersweet atmosphere, with the narrator grappling with the painful reality that they are split in half but must learn to live with it.