Summerlea
Fred Eaglesmith Lyrics

Nighttime's falling on the Summerlea
The sun is setting over the Summerlea area

And supper's getting cold
Dinner that was cooked for two is getting cold as one of them is not there

It's the second time in as many weeks
It's the second time in two weeks

That he hasn't shown
Her partner has not come home, leaving her alone again

He's probably chasing some old steer
He's possibly out chasing cattle on the prairie

Across some prairie storm
He is doing this despite the bad weather conditions on the prairie

But when she asks him he'll just shrug
When she confronts him about his absence, he avoids the question

And say that's the way things go
He justifies his actions with the excuse that this is typical behavior for a man like him

But he only gets into town twice a month
He only comes to town twice a month to see her

And he gets out as fast as he can
He leaves town as soon as he can without wasting any time

And he don't have a phone so she can't call him up
He doesn’t have a phone and she has no way of contacting him

And she never knows where he is
She remains clueless about his whereabouts and what he does

He smells like horses and he chews tobacco
He has a distinct smell of horses and enjoys the habit of chewing tobacco

And he cusses and he spits
He uses vulgar language and spits on the ground

She's been in love a couple of times before
She's had romantic relationships before this one

But never quite like this
But none of them were as intense or extraordinary as this current relationship

Next month it'll be those damned old rodeos and fairs
Next month, he'll be gone for six weeks to participate in rodeos and fairs

And he'll be gone for six weeks straight
He'll be away for six consecutive weeks

To God only knows where
She has no idea where he'll be going or what he'll be doing

And he won't win any money
He knows he will not win any prize money at the rodeos and fairs

And worst than that, he won't care
He's not worried about not winning anything, but what he's more carefree about is her absence during this period of time

When she asks him, he'll just smile
He'll just brush off the topic with a smile when she brings this up

He had a really good time out there
He enjoyed being out there participating in rodeos and fairs

Well, he stops his horse to get a light
He stops his horse to light up a cigarette

And the water pours off his hat
Rainwater pours off his hat, indicating that he's been out in the rain for a while

He's been out in the rain most of the night
He has been caught up in the rain most of the night

And he ought to be getting back
He feels like he should head back home

He's been thinking about the colour of her hair
He's pondering on the shade of the lady's hair he's in love with

And the touch of her hand
He's thinking about the soft touch of her hand

And the way she quietly smiles
He cherishes the silent but sincere smile that she offers him

Whenever she looks at him
He is smitten by the way she gazes at him

And he don't have a phone so he can't call her up
He does not have a phone to express his feelings by calling her

And he never knows where she is
He is not aware of her location and has no way of contacting her

She smells like flowers and perfume
The lady has a sweet fragrance of flowers and perfume

And tobacco and gin
She also has a scent of smoking and drinking liquor

He's been in love a couple of times before
He has fallen in love before this time

But never quite like this
But none were as impactful and profound as this present romance

He's been in love a couple times before
He too has had affairs in the past

But never quite like this
But none had ever captured his heart like this current one

Nighttime's falling on the Summerlea
The sun has completely set over the Summerlea town

And supper's getting cold
The hot meal she cooked for two earlier is quickly losing its warmth, adding to her loneliness