Land Alive- GC Myers
But it’s a long, long while from May to December
And the days grow short when you reach September
And I have lost one tooth and I walk a little lame
And I haven’t got time for waiting game
— September Song, I Kurt Weill and Maxwell Anderson
It’s the first of September and I let out a sigh of relief that August is behind us. I have confessed my utter disdain for the month of August here in the past but have refrained from doing so this year. For me, going back to my childhood, August has usually been a month of heat and anxiety, an uncomfortable month in which things never quite go right and often go very wrong.
As a result, the first days of September have the feel of a prison door being opened so that I might be released. I feel the cool air of freedom on my face once more.
Refreshing.
That first day of September is finally here after an August that seemed to start in July this year, with the anaplasmosis that plagued me carrying me into August. Every year on this day I share a version of the classic September Song. It has long been one of my favorite songs and becomes even more so with each passing year as it becomes more and more personally relevant. The verse at the top sures feels relevant to me on this cool morning.
Written by Kurt Weill with lyrics by Maxwell Anderson, it was first sung, surprisingly, by Walter Huston in the stage production of Knickerbocker Holiday back in 1938. Since then, it has been covered by literally hundreds of musicians and singers throughout the world. I have listened to and played many of them here from a wide variety of artists. As it is with most great songs, most of them are wonderful renditions. It’s just that good a song.
It’s a bittersweet and slightly melancholy reflection on the passing of time, that inevitable march to old age symbolized in the turning of leaves and the shortening of the days. These precious days, as the song says.
This year I am going to share a performance of September Song from the great Ella Fitzgerald. You can never go wrong with Ella. Having her serenade us out of August and into September feels right somehow.
Welcome to September.
Redtree Times 
I’m glad for you, although down here we need an October Song. September’s still hot and anxiety-ridden; it is, after all, the height of hurricane season. But October’s coming, thank goodness.
You’re right, Linda. There needs to be an equivalent September Song for folks in your part of the world!
I know what our October song is! Everyone starts playing this one when the weather cools and the tourists finally leave the beaches!