Track 3 of the album Kitchen Table Hymnal · 2022
Cicadas Know the Words
“The cicadas know all the words and they are not shy. I sat on the porch and let them lead.”
country · summer-night country · dreamy twang · 4:04
Lyrics
The sun goes down like it's got all night Gold on the fence and the porch rail too Supper dishes drying in the window Everything slow and the sky gone blue Screen door sighs and the swing starts moving The neighbor's radio hums low Late August evening, nothing needed Just the long light letting go Cicadas know the words They've been singing since I was small Soft as a screen door closing Over everything at all Let the evening take its time Let the porch light find the moth Cicadas know the words And they're singing us home Barefoot kids chase the last firefly Mama's humming something I can't name Iced tea sweating on the railing Same old sky, never the same I used to hurry through these evenings Looking for the next big thing Now I sit still and watch it darken Let the whole field sing Cicadas know the words They've been singing since I was small Soft as a screen door closing Over everything at all Let the evening take its time Let the porch light find the moth Cicadas know the words And they're singing us home Summer's leaning on the autumn door Not a thing to say We're just here, we're just here At the tail end of the day Cicadas know the words They've been singing since I was small Soft as a screen door closing Over everything at all Let the evening take its time Let the porch light find the moth Cicadas know the words And they're singing us home Singing us home Singing us home