Steve Schuster
Halcyon Haze ©2024 Stephen A Schuster
Moments in time can never be replaced
By reason or rhyme, most of these moments go to waste
Chasing memories, summer’s greatest melodies
Lost but not misplaced, they cannot be erased
These are the days to remember
Tender pictures hold our hearts
Halcyon Haze, summer’s splendor
Bonfires embers, flames and sparks
Go our own ways come September
When your Greyhound bus departs
These are the days to remember
Under the stars, we’ll cherish that first kiss
So perfectly ours, sharing moments such as this
When we’re holding hands, knowing each other understands
Dreaming but not asleep, these moments for to us keep
These are the days to remember
Tender pictures hold our hearts
Halcyon Haze, summer’s splendor
Bonfires embers, flames and sparks
Go our own ways come September
When your Greyhound bus departs
These are the days to remember
Circles of friends, we’ll never see them break
Beginnings or ends, every summer we’ll remake
Time to time and such, trying our best just to keep in touch
So far but not apart, I’ve loved you from the start
These are the days to remember
Tender pictures hold our hearts
Halcyon Haze, summer’s splendor
Bonfires embers, flames and sparks
Go our own ways come September
When your Greyhound bus departs
These are the days to remember
"Halcyon Haze" is a nostalgic ballad that transports listeners back to the idyllic, sun-soaked days and weeks of summer camp, capturing the essence of youth, freedom, and the bittersweet pangs of first loves. Drawing from my personal experiences as a Jewish summer camp song leader, the lyrics evoke a time and place where music, friendship and nature converge into a potent swirl of emotions and memories.
The song vividly recreates the communal joys and individual discoveries that define the summer camp experience. From the thrill of first kisses under the stars to the warmth of bonfire nights filled with songs, "Halcyon Haze" is a time capsule recalling fleeting pangs of adolescence. The song concludes with the summer’s final friendship circle, a poignant symbol of closure and continuity that captures the heartbreak of parting ways tempered by the hope of reuniting next summer.
"Halcyon Haze" is ultimately an anthem to the transformative power of summer camp. It celebrates the halcyon days of youth — those irreplaceable moments of splendor, discovery, and emotional intensity that linger in the heart long after the season fades.