This is a great song that Cheryl almost never does live any more. The pace is quite brisk, and the lines quite complex. The song is about how your summer would fly by when you were young. Cheryl describes this song as "an encyclopedia of songs". It contains all kinds of ideas for songs.
This song has been recorded by Maura O'Connell on her album Helpless Heart (1989) Warner 26016. Another version by her is on the "Best of Mountain Stage Vol 2" (1991) on Blue Plate (BPM 002CD). Her arrangement is quite similar to Cheryl's.
When Maura O'Connell first recorded this song, audiences would request that Cheryl sing it. For a long time, she would decline, saying they should listen to Maura do it instead. Finally, she revisted the song, (thanks partly to Kenny White) and Cheryl started doing it again at shows. She changed the last line of the first verse from "'cause a pure and golden high is all that I remember", and wrote a bridge for the song. Here is a live version of Summer Fly on YouTube.
I guess this shows that if enough people start requesting a song, Cheryl is liable to eventually start doing it again. It worked with this song, and it worked with Wheel on a Wire. 
- Summer Fly
- Words And Music By:
- Cheryl Wheeler
- In another, younger day I could dream the time away
- In the universe inside my room
- And the world was really mine from June to September
- And if it wasn’t really so I was lucky not to know
- And I was lucky not to wonder why
- ‘cause a starry sky is all that I remember
- A summer fly was buzzin’ every night when I was young
- In the gentle world my child-like senses knew
- And the world was just my cousin and the wind was just the tongue
- In the voice my lonely moments listened to
- And I look at me today, all the dreams have gone away
- And I’m where I never thought I’d be
- Seeing things I never thought I’d see happening to me
- And I lay awake at night till the darkness goes to light
- Hearing voices calling out my name
- Droning over and again the same message through me
- Cryin’ who’s your partner, who’s your darlin’ who’s your baby now?
- Who wakes up at night to pull you in?
- It don’t matter, you just make her lonely anyhow
- Don’t know why you even try to win
- Oh this’ll never fly, get out while you can
- Look into the mirror say it’s not the same again
- Every single time, things just fall apart
- Slamming door, slipping pride, sad and angry heart
- 10/28/79
- (P) May 27, 2003
- Penrod And Higgins Music / Amachrist Music
- ACF Music Group
- International Copyright Reserved