[Intro — fingerpicked acoustic guitar, distant piano, soft fiddle] I think September's pretty, And December has its snow, Spring makes everybody hopeful, July gives us somewhere to go. But there's something 'bout October When the mountains catch on fire, Makes the whole world feel much bigger And me heart a little lighter. [Verse 1] Maples burning red and orange, Birches turning into gold, Morning frost along the fence line, Even sunlight looks more bold. Pull my oldest sweater over Hair that never matched the leaves, Then I walk beneath a thousand colors Falling from the trees. Mama says I'm always happiest Soon as summer disappears. Maybe I've been waiting all year For October to get here. [Chorus] I'm an October girl, Give me cold air in my lungs, Woodsmoke drifting through the valley, And a song still half-unsung. Give me mountains dressed in colors No photograph could ever hold, A little green against the crimson, A little young against the old. I don't need the world forever. Just give me this one little whirl— Red leaves, Cold cheeks, Clear skies— I'm an October girl. [Verse 2] Take the horse out after supper When the daylight's getting thin, Watch his breath turn white before us As the evening settles in. There's a creek behind the pasture Where the water runs so clear, And the trees lean down above it Like they're trying to disappear. Sometimes I just sit and listen. Nothing asking me to sing. Nothing asking where I'm going. Nothing asking anything. And somehow in that quiet, With the whole hill turning gold, Sixteen doesn't feel too little. And the world doesn't feel too old. [Chorus] I'm an October girl, Give me cold air in my lungs, Woodsmoke drifting through the valley, And a song still half-unsung. Give me apples in the kitchen, Give me rain against the glass, Give me one more afternoon I know was never built to last. That's the thing about October— Maybe that's why she's my world. She's beautiful because she's leaving. I'm an October girl. [Bridge — piano enters, fiddle very soft] When I was little, I asked Mama Why the prettiest leaves had to fall. Why couldn't autumn stay forever? Why couldn't we just keep it all? She said, If the leaves stayed on the branches, There'd be nowhere new to grow. I didn't like that answer then. [quietly] I'm still not sure I do. 'Cause sometimes when a thing is lovely, I wanna hold it where it stands. Keep the sunlight on the mountains, Keep October in my hands. But maybe loving something means Ya let it change when changing comes. Maybe knowing winter's waiting Makes ya turn yer face toward the sun. [Final Chorus — fuller strings, drums enter gently] I'm an October girl! Give me every shade ya've got! Green and scarlet, gold and amber, Every color summer's not! Give me muddy roads and horses! Give me wind that steals my curls! Give me mountains big enough To hold the dreams of little girls! And someday I might leave here. I might see the whole wide world. But wherever all those roads go, Some part of me will still be curled In an old Vermont sweater, Watching autumn flags unfurl— Green hair beneath a red-leaf sky. Forever— An October girl. [Outro — acoustic guitar only] Tomorrow there'll be fewer leaves. Next week the hills'll change. Soon enough the snow will come And cover everything. But tonight the moon is rising Over mountains red and gold. And sixteen feels like October— Beautiful... Because it won't stay so.
