Summer Skin

Listen while you read: The song mentions Labor Day!

Squeaky swings and tall grass
The longest shadows ever cast
The water's warn and children swim
And we frolicked about in our summer skin

I don't recall a single care
Just greenery and humid air
Then Labor Day came and went
And we shed what was left of our summer skin

On the night you left, I came over
And we peeled the freckles from our shoulders
Our brand new coats so flushed and pink
And I knew your heart I couldn't win
'Cause the season's change was a conduit
And we left our love in our summer skin

~ Death Cab for Cutie

So there may be several songs about working or not working, but can you name another song that actually mentions "Labor Day" in the lyrics? I didn't think so. "Summer Skin" is part of Death Cab's 2005 release, Plans.

And a simple little love-and-loss song it is. Perhaps shedding a summer romance is akin to shedding summer skin? ("Shedding summer skin" . . . say that three times fast. Go on, I dare you.) Actually, the song puts me in mind of heading back to college after summer vacation, a bittersweet experience. Somewhat unsettling about the song is the insistent drumming, like a march. I suppose the seasons do march in and out, keeping time, ever onward. And our hearts, despite sometimes breaking, continue to keep the beat.

But, despite morning temps here in the low 40s, summer is not over! There are another eighteen days until the autumnal equinox! For those of us who have left the work force, there may still be a beach day or two before we pull out the sweaters. And for my friends and family for whom Labor Day marks a return to the work force, here's to a good year of teaching and learning and making a difference.