Lyrics
Verse 1
You left your red cup by the screen doorAnd a hair tie on my truckAugust leaned against the porch railLike it knew we'd had enoughYour kiss still tasted sweet as peachesWhen you pulled away that nightBut the crickets changed their rhythmAnd the county fair lost its light
Pre‑Chorus
Now the mornings wear a jacketAnd the cornfield's turning goldI can feel September comingLike a truth I can't outrun
Chorus
You're fading like a July tan lineWhen the first cold wind comes throughStill see where your hand was restingStill feel the warmth of youWe were fire in the backseatTill the season changed its mindNow summer love is washing off meLike a July tan line
Verse 2
There's a blanket in the clotheslineThat still smells a little like your skinAnd two tickets in the gloveboxFor a night we never got to spendI drive past Miller's old gas stationWhere you said, "Don't make this hard"Funny how a short goodbye canLeave a long road through your heart
Pre‑Chorus
Now the sunset comes in earlierThe porch light draws the mothsI keep finding little piecesOf the thing we almost got
Chorus
You're fading like a July tan lineWhen the first cold wind comes throughStill see where your hand was restingStill feel the warmth of youWe were fire in the backseatTill the season changed its mindNow summer love is washing off meLike a July tan line
Bridge
Maybe time ain't cruel, just steadyMaybe hearts know when to moveBut tonight I'll let the fiddle cryFor the girl I was with youAnd if you hear this in OctoberBy a bonfire somewhere westKnow I loved you in the heat waveAnd I loved you at the endinstrumental
Final Chorus
You're fading like a July tan lineWhen the first cold wind comes throughStill see where your hand was restingStill feel the warmth of youWe were fire in the backseatTill the season changed its mindNow summer love is washing off meLike a July tan lineYeah, summer love is washing off meBut it takes its sweet old time
Outro
August falls behind the barn doorAnd I leave the porch light onFor the part of us that lingeredAfter you were gone