Track 9 of the album Lullabies for Grown-Ups · 2010
The Last Long Light of August
“The swifts leave and the evenings go gold. I wrote it in the garden with my coat over my knees.”
acoustic · autumn folk · nostalgic acoustic · 5:25
Lyrics
The swifts have gone, the sky is wide The garden chairs are out We carry plates across the lawn No one needs to shout The light comes in so low and gold It lies along the grass And every voice sounds softer now As the evening hours pass Thank you for the long light Thank you for the late supper outside For the neighbours' laughter over the hedge For the quiet side by side Summer is leaning on the gate It will not stay, but it's not too late Thank you for the last long light of August And the time we got to spend The children chase the fading sun Barefoot, brown and loud My father tells the same old joke And we laugh, and we are proud A moth is at the lantern glass The jasmine hangs its sweet And I count the faces round the table Every one a treat Thank you for the long light Thank you for the late supper outside For the neighbours' laughter over the hedge For the quiet side by side Summer is leaning on the gate It will not stay, but it's not too late Thank you for the last long light of August And the time we got to spend Soon the evenings will draw in We'll light the lamps at six Wear the heavy jumpers And poke the winter fire's sticks But I'll remember this one night The plates, the dusk, the hum How full a heart can feel When nothing much has come Now the blue comes down the hill The cups are cold with tea Someone hums a half-known tune And it's enough for me I'll fold this evening like a coat And keep it for the cold A little warmth to carry on When the year has grown old Thank you for the long light Thank you for the late supper outside For the neighbours' laughter over the hedge For the quiet side by side Summer is leaning on the gate It will not stay, but it's not too late Thank you for the last long light of August And the time we got to spend