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Poetry Sunday: September Song by Kurt Weill and Maxwell Anderson

And just like that, here we are in October. September, it seems we hardly knew ye! But as we view that departed month in our rearview mirror, let's give it one last wave goodbye. And what better way to give it that sendoff than with the lyrics of one of my favorite songs.

September Song

by Kurt Weill and Maxwell Anderson

When I was a young man courting the girls
I played me a waiting game
If a maid refused me with tossing curls
I'd let the old Earth make a couple of whirls
While I plied her with tears in lieu of pearls
And as time came around she came my way
As time came around, she came.

When you meet with the young girls early in the Spring
You court them in song and rhyme
They answer with words and a clover ring
But if you could examine the goods they bring
They have little to offer but the songs they sing
And the plentiful waste of time of day
A plentiful waste of time.

Oh, it's a long, long while from May to December
But the days grow short when you reach September
When the autumn weather turns the leaves to flame
One hasn't got time for the waiting game.

Oh, the days dwindle down to a precious few
September, November
And these few precious days I'll spend with you
These precious days I'll spend with you.

*~*~*~*

And, as a bonus, here's a link to Frank Sinatra performing the definitive version of that song.

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Comments

  1. David M. Gascoigne,October 1, 2023 at 5:14 AM

    Fine lyrics, great music, great performance.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AlanaOctober 1, 2023 at 2:10 PM

    Frank Sinatra had more than one hit singing songs that dealt with aging - it's interesting, because I wasn't aware until now that he had an entire album (apparently) themed on this. This poem is so, so true.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersOctober 1, 2023 at 7:44 PM

      I actually have that album (in LP form) that I bought many years ago, mostly just because I loved that song so much.

      Delete
  3. Deb Nance at ReaderbuzzOctober 2, 2023 at 5:54 AM

    This song has great meaning for me now at 67. "The days grow short..."

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousApril 14, 2025 at 4:26 PM

    Lotte Lenya did it first, and she still owns this song. Everybody else of that generation has done it, too, but Lou Reed's is the only cover I want to hear.

    ReplyDelete

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