[Verse 1]
When you meet with the young boys in early spring
They court you with song and rhyme
And they give you a poem and a clover ring
But if you could examine the goods that they bring
They have little to offer but the song they sing
And a plentiful waste of time of day
A plentiful waste of time

[Chorus]
Oh, it's a long, long while
From May to December
Oh, the days grow short
When you reach September
And when the autumn chill
Sets the leaves to flame
Then you haven't got time
To play the waiting game

[Verse 2]
When I was a young girl courting the boys
I played the waiting game
And if he refused me with tossing curl
I'd let the old earth take a couple of whirls
As he plied me with tears in lieu of pearls
And as time came around he came my way
As time came around love came
[Chorus]
But it's a long, long time
From May to December
And the days grow short
When you reach September
When the autumn wind
Sets the leaves to flame
Then you haven't got time
To play the waiting game

[Bridge]
Oh, the days dwindle down
To a precious few
September, November

[Chorus]
And these few precious days
I'll spend with you
These precious days
I'll spend with you