September Song
The Impressions Lyrics

The Impressions' song "September Song" is a melancholic love song that captures the passing of time through the changing seasons. The opening lines "Oh, it's a long, long while from May to December" evoke a sense of time stretching out into infinity. The song suggests that time moves very slowly during the earlier months of the year, but once September hits, the year seems to be going at a much faster pace. September, according to the song, represents the beginning of autumn, and as the weather turns cooler, the leaves on the trees begin to transform into their autumn colors.

The next line, "When the autumn weather turns the leaves to flame," creates a contrasting image to the image of time stretched out in the beginning of the song. Here, the image of leaves turning the colors of fire suggests a kind of urgency and change. The song seems to be saying that autumn is the time of reckoning, a time when one must make the most of the remaining days before winter sets in. The refrain "These precious days I'll spend with you" is sung three times during the song, reinforcing the idea that the singer is spending time with the one he loves, taking advantage of these precious moments before they are gone forever.