Noah Kahan's songs: The meanings behind his lyrics

Noah Kahan has been enjoying incredible success, from his brilliant single 'Stick Season' topping the UK Singles Chart, to being nominated for Best New Artist at the 2024 Grammy Awards. The 27-year-old folk-pop singer has amassed a legion of devoted fans thanks to his songs - many of which contain some pretty emotional lyrics.

But what are the meanings behind Noah's songs? To help you understand the meanings behind his music a little better, we've taken a look at some of his lyrics and what they could mean.

What is 'Stick Season' about?

'Stick Season' has been a huge success for Noah, reaching Number 1 on the UK Singles Chart and achieving viral success on TikTok. The term 'Stick Season' has a specific meaning in Noah's native Vermont, where it is used to refer to the transitional time of year between Autumn and the first snow.

Speaking about the term, which is also the title of his third studio album, Noah told NME: "Stick season is between fall and the snow. It's a time of transition in the weather, but also in a lot of people's lives. A big part of my childhood was being surrounded by friends and family.

"I thought I was gonna go to college but, instead, I got a record deal. I was just at home in Vermont making music and my friends would come home for Thanksgiving, when stick season was in full swing.

"They would leave, and that loneliness would come back. (During COVID) that feeling of being left behind or out of place was at the forefront of my mind again."

In the lyrics, Noah sings of someone who is reflecting on lost love during the 'stick season': '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'.

LISTEN: Noah Kahan - 'Stick Season'

What is 'Dial Drunk' about?

'Dial Drunk' tells the story of a heartbroken man who gets arrested and gives their ex as their 'emergency phone call', who doesn't respond. The person admits they would still do anything for their former partner, even if it isn't healthy.

Noah has clarified that the song isn't reflective of his own experiences, nor is it meant to glorify the actions in the song - instead it is telling a story of someone who is holding onto a relationship.

Posting on X, Noah said: 'I do just want to emphasize that not every song I make is directly about my life experience 👍👍 drunk dial lyrics are not meant to glorify the behavior as much as tell a story about a desperate burnout clinging onto a relationship ok love you bye!'

This can be heard in the chorus: 'I ain't proud of all the punches that I've thrown / In the name of someone I no longer know / For the shame of being young, drunk and alone / Traffic lights and a transmitter radio / I don't like that when they threw me in the car / I gave your name as my emergency phone call / Honey, it rang and rang, even the cops thought you were wrong for hangin' up / I dial drunk, I'll die a drunk, I'll die for you.'

LISTEN: Noah Kahan - 'Dial Drunk'

WARNING: This song contains some strong language

What is 'Call Your Mom' about?

'Call Your Mom' is one of Noah's most emotional songs, which is about the importance of reaching out for help when struggling with mental health issues. The lyrics speak of someone offering unconditional support to a friend who is struggling, urging them to keep going.

The person in the song can be heard to do anything they can to help, including driving through the night and calling their friend's mother.

This meaning can be heard in the lyrics: 'Don't let this darkness fool you / All lights turned off can be turned on / I'll drive, I'll drive all night / I'll call your mom / Oh, dear, don't be discouraged / I've been exactly where you are / I'll drive, I'll drive all night / I'll call your mom / I'll call your mom'.

LISTEN: Noah Kahan - 'Call Your Mom'

What is 'Orange Juice' about?

Sharing a video to his TikTok page, Noah opened up about the emotional meaning behind his track 'Orange Juice'. He said: "I wrote 'Orange Juice about two friends reconciling after years of being apart. A tragic accident that they went through kind of separated them, and one person found religion, and the other person stayed in the town where the accident happened and kind of just moved forward.

"It's really a song about how trauma can bind you, and how it can also separate you. And I always think that going through something traumatic should at least bring you closer to the person that experienced it with you. And I think the hardest thing about that is sometimes it makes you go farther away, and I wanted to write about two people coming back together after that time."

This can be heard in the lyrics: 'You said my heart has changed and my soul has changed / And my heart, and my heart / That my life has changed, that this town had changed / And you had not.

'That the world had changed, don't you find it strange / That you just went ahead and carried on? / And you know I'd say the last time I drank / I was face down, passed out, there on your lawn.'

"I drew on a lot of the inspiration of my own life, my own struggle with addiction and alcohol, and friendships that I've lost and haven't been able to maintain. And I wanted to create a story about two people that represented a lot of the challenges that I've gone through and that people in my life have gone through, and that's what 'Orange Juice' is about at its core."

This can be heard in the lyrics: 'Honey, come over, the party's gone slower / And no-one will tempt you, we know you got sober / There's orange juice in the kitchen, bought for the children / It's yours if you want it, we're just glad you could visit.'

LISTEN: Noah Kahan - 'Orange Juice'

What is 'You're Gonna Go Far' about?

'You're Gonna Go Far' is about telling someone that it's okay to leave home and they shouldn't feel guilty. The lyrics appear to act as a reminder that home will always be there. Sharing a video of the song on his TikTok page, Noah said it was 'for anyone far from home'.

'So, pack up your car, put a hand on your heart / Say whatever you feel, be wherever you are / We ain't angry at you, love / You're the greatest thing we've lost / The birds will still sing, your folks will still fight / The boards will still creak, the leaves will still die / We ain't angry at you, love / We'll be waiting for you, love.'

The song proved to be so popular that in May 2024, it was certified Silver by the BPI - translating to 200,000 sales in the UK alone!

LISTEN: Noah Kahan - 'You're Gonna Go Far'

What is 'Homesick' about?

Released as a collab with Sam Fender in addition to featuring on Noah's album 'Stick Season', 'Homesick' is about Noah's feelings about his hometown, discussing the feeling of wanting to move away, but struggling to leave.

Discussing the collab, Sam said: "Noah actually came to my hometown of Newcastle when he was on tour, so we met up and I showed him around. I found it canny funny and flattering when he said in his East Coast American accent, 'I wanna see where these songs came from man'.

"So we hit the Lowlights Tavern for a swift Guinness and walked in the bitter cold of the sea-front. Chatting with him about things in both our pasts made me realise how universal 'Homesick' is. We've all been that kid."

Lyrics: 'I would leave if only I could find a reason / I'm mean because I grew up in New England / I got dreams but I can't make myself believe them / Spend the rest of my life with what could have been / And I will die in the house that I grew up in / I'm homesick'.

LISTEN: Noah Kahan - 'Homesick'

WARNING: This song contains some strong language

What is 'The View Between Villages' about?

Speaking to Billboard, Noah shared the meaning behind 'The View Between Villages', explaining that it's about his feelings about driving home. He said: "It's about the drive between South Strafford and Strafford. It's this long winding road through this really beautiful valley - I think there's some kind of town ordinance that doesn't allow people to build on it, because it's just this beautiful farmland.

"Whenever I drive through it I feel truly and completely at peace. Then, I get off of it and pass my old house. I have this creeping anxiety coming back, to this place that has so much baggage for me. By the end of the song, I'm reversing the car and going back on the road between the villages."

Noah continued: "There's real beauty and nuance to living in New England - it feels like you're in a bubble and it's f------- freezing and people are mean, but what trumps that all is how absolutely peaceful and gorgeous it is there. I wanted the perspective to be that of hope toward the end of the record - because I think the ultimate message of this album is that there is real beauty in small towns."

This can be heard in the lyrics: 'The things that I lost here, the people I knew / They got me surrounded for a mile or two / The car's in reverse, I'm grippin' the wheel / I'm back between villages and everything's still.'

LISTEN: Noah Kahan - 'The View Between Villages'

What is 'Northern Attitude' about?

'Northern Attitude was hugely popular when shared on Noah's TikTok page, going on to be released with Noah's 'hero' Hozier. As reported by The Sound Café, Noah explained that the song touches on the emotional theme of loneliness.

He said: "I was singing about isolation, about trying to assess who you are and where you life is going, and about accepting that and opening yourself up to love either way. Vermont has the second smallest population in the United States, and the second most rural population too. By definition, it is one of the loneliest places to live in the world.

"I felt that infinite loneliness in the years I spent living there after I graduated high school. I watched as my friends felt it and as my parents and family felt it too. I wanted to write a song about that loneliness, and what it means to the way we exist and the way we approach relationships. All that time in solitude can bring about clarity in oneself, and I believe this song is an exploration of that self-realisation."

This can be heard in the lyrics: 'If I get too close / And I'm not how you hoped / Forgive my northern attitude / Oh, I was raised out in the cold / If the sun don't rise / 'Til the summertime / Forgive my northern attitude / Oh, I was raised on little light'

LISTEN: Noah Kahan - 'Northern Attitude'

WARNING: This song contains some strong language

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