20 Heartfelt Noah Kahan Quotes About Love From His Best Song Lyrics

Love songs help us put words to the often indescribable ways we feel, and Noah Kahan’s lyrics have proven to encapsulate even the most niche and specific emotions.

Though it’s Grammy-nominated Kahan’s 2023 album “Stick Season” that put the artist on the map, it’s far from his first. Kahan’s discography is full of meaningful lyrics about love, loneliness and longing dating back to 2017. In that time, Kahan has committed himself to making music that, while touching on serious subjects, remains relatable, which has helped him build a fanbase that feels more like a family.

“People are hearing these songs that sure have some tricky themes — ones that deal with mental health or parental trauma, addiction — and are connecting with each other on it,” he said in an interview with GQ, adding that he’s honored to be able to tell these stories from the heart.

20 heartfelt Noah Kahan quotes about love from his best song lyrics

1. “And I'll dream each night of some version of you that I might not have, but I did not lose.” — from ‘Stick Season’

“Stick season is between fall and the snow,” Kahan explained to NME, referencing the “time of transition in the weather, but also in a lot of people’s lives.” 

2. “No, I am no longer funny 'cause I miss the way you laugh. You once called me forever now you still can't call me back.” — from ‘Stick Season’

In a TikTok video, Kahan noted that aside from its more literal weather meaning, “Stick Season” refers to “change, and how it hurts, and how it’s necessary, and how something that you thought was beautiful can suddenly turn ugly.”

3. “And I'm split in half, but that'll have to do. Oh, that'll have to do. My other half was you.” — from ‘Stick Season’

Photo: Julia Joppien / Unsplash

Kahan describes the feeling of losing the person you felt made you whole, knowing you can still survive but acknowledging the pain of the loss regardless.

4. “Feels like I've been ready for you to come home for so long that I didn't think to ask you where you'd gone.” — from ‘Orange Juice’

According to Kahan, ‘Orange Juice’ is “a song about how trauma can bind you and how it can also separate you.”

5. “I ain't proud of all the punches that I've thrown in the name of someone I no longer know.” — from ‘Dial Drunk’

After a breakup, it’s an odd feeling to look back on all the things you’ve done for someone who may now feel like a complete stranger.

6. “I don't like that when they threw me in the car I gave your name as my emergency phone call. Honey, it rang and rang, even the cops thought you were wrong for hangin' up.” — from ‘Dial Drunk’

In an interview, Kahan explained that ‘Dial Drunk’ characterizes the feeling of wanting to fix a relationship that’s “beyond fixing.”

7. “If I get too close and I'm not how you hoped forgive my northern attitude.” — from ‘Northern Attitude’

It can be difficult to let people in and see who you really are, flaws and all — making it easier to credit your quirks and personality on outside influences.

8. “We ain't angry at you, love. You're the greatest thing we've lost.” — from ‘You’re Gonna Go Far’

It’s bittersweet to lose someone who moves on to make a better life for themselves.

9. “Now I know your name, but not who you are. It's all okay, there ain't a drop of bad blood, it's all my love.” — from ‘All My Love’

You know you’ve truly begun healing after a breakup when you can speak with your ex without bitterness.

10. “And those five words still in my head, you said, ‘I'll never you let go’.” — from ‘All My Love’

It’s sometimes the smallest moments in our relationships that linger long after they’re over.

11. “I wanna lovе you 'Til we're food for the worms to eat, 'Til our fingers decompose, keep my hands in yours.” — from ‘Everywhere, Everything’

When you love someone so much you are prepared to spend not only the rest of your life with them, but everything after that, too.

12. “We'll write out the ends on our palms dear, then forget to read.” — from ‘Everywhere, Everything”

A reminder that life and love rarely ever go to plan.

13. “Oh, there was Heaven in your eyes. I was not baptized.” — from ‘She Calls Me Back’

When it feels like you’re not quite good enough for the person you love. 

14. “Lost for a long time, two parallel lines, everything's alright when she calls me back.” — from ‘She Calls Me Back’

This describes the heartwarming feeling of hearing from someone when you feel like you’re drifting apart. 

15. “When I hold her close I might loosen my grip, but I won't ever let her go.” — from ‘Forever’

In a relationship, you have to let your partner be who they are, which might mean loosening your grip on them but knowing they’ll be in your heart forever. 

16. “Now you're gone and all I want is someone like you.” — from ‘Someone Like You’

No person or relationship is perfect, and despite picking at flaws when you’re with someone, we often find ourselves missing them once they’re gone. 

17. “I got so close to love with you, my dear. But I don't miss you, I miss the way you made me feel.” — from ‘Part of Me’

Sometimes we don’t fall in love with a person but rather the feelings that person brings out in us. 

18. “And if I glued myself shut you would find your way in.” — from ‘Glue Myself Shut’

When you truly love someone, you do whatever it takes to become familiar with the ‘real’ them. 

19. “It only feels real after rainin'. And hearts only heal after breaking.” — from ‘Glue Myself Shut’

Photo: Julia Joppien / Unsplash

It often takes heartache to feel healed. 

20. “Don't let this darkness fool you. All lights turned off can be turned on.” — from ‘Call Your Mom’

Even when you feel like you’re at your lowest, remember that it can and will get better.

Micki Spollen is a YourTango editor, writer and traveler.