Rachel Ries is a Minneapolis-based musician, songwriter, Kith + Kin Chorus … Read Full Bio ↴Rachel Ries is a Minneapolis-based musician, songwriter, Kith + Kin Chorus director, sideman, auntie, artist and tiny home inhabiter. She has released four albums and four EPs, including the country ep, a split 45 of countryish duets with longtime friend and collaborator, Anaïs Mitchell. In 2016, with the release of To Gentlemen, Rachel parted ways from performing as "Rachel Ries" and now writes for and tours with her new project, HER CROOKED HEART. HCH carries Rachel's wry and powerfully tender writing farther down the path of instrumental expansion and distillation. HCH's debut album,To Love To Leave To Live, was released May 2019.

October
Rachel Ries Lyrics

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When October comes I'll be home
I'll knock three times on your back door
And maybe, maybe you'll answer
You'll look surprised, I'll shrug and smile
Hold out my hand for you to shake
And take me, take me in
And take me, take me in

And love me like you never could before
Hold me like you never did before
Pull me down and show me so I know
And let's go so slow
That I don't notice the morning
Pull me down and show me so I know
And let's go so slow
That I don't notice the morning

I sing for you only on this lonely highway
The devil come, the devil care
But I only want you dear
Want you

When I'm on the prairie
I see my hope, I see my fear
And you are always there
Holding out for just the right
Amount of luck and grace
Dear, I am always here
Dear, I am always here

I sing for you only on this lonely highway
The devil come the devil care

But I only want you near
Want you

Overall Meaning

Rachel Ries's song October is a melancholic plea for love and connection. The singer is yearning to be with someone, to be loved and held in a way that they have never experienced before. The simple and evocative lyrics paint a picture of a person who is lonely and homesick, seeking comfort and warmth in the arms of their beloved.

The first verse of the song sets the scene for the singer's return home in October. The repetition of the words "take me in" highlights the desperation and longing to be held and loved unconditionally. The second verse describes the singer's state of mind as they sing on a lonely highway. They are haunted by their own fears and anxieties, seeking refuge in the love of their significant other.

The chorus is a passionate plea for physical and emotional intimacy. The singer asks to be held and loved "like you never could before," expressing a deep desire for a transformative experience. They want to be pulled down, and shown what it's like to be truly loved. The repetition of the phrase "let's go so slow, that I don't notice the morning" suggests a desire to live in the moment, to cling to the sensation of being held and loved without the distraction of time.

Overall, October is a poignant and deeply emotional song, exploring themes of love, loneliness, and the desperate need for connection.

Line by Line Meaning

When October comes I'll be home
When autumn arrives, I will return home

I'll knock three times on your back door
I will knock three times on your backdoor

And maybe, maybe you'll answer
Perhaps, you will answer my knock

You'll look surprised, I'll shrug and smile
You will appear startled, and I will respond with a shrug and a smile

Hold out my hand for you to shake
I will extend my hand to shake with you

And take me, take me in
And take me into your home

And love me like you never could before
Love me with more passion and intensity than you previously expressed

Hold me like you never did before
Embrace me like you haven't before

Pull me down and show me so I know
Bring me close and demonstrate your love to me

And let's go so slow
And let's take our time