I was twenty-one years when I wrote this song/
I’m twenty-two now but I won’t be for long.

Aging, Time and Love are themes in several of Simon’s songs and that is the theme here, in “Leaves That Are Green”. I always found the lyric above interesting. If you take it literally, it is nonsensical: you could never write this song with these lyrics when you were 21 but now be 22 and have the words be the same. But we get what he is saying. Ultimately, he ties this song back to his love a girl. Once it was green like spring, now it is dying and turning to brown. The relationship is ending. That is a powerful simile if ever there was one.

Make sure you listen to the acoustic version of “Leaves That Are Green” from the Paul Simon songbook. We can hear Simon’s expertise at finger-picking. He is a very precise guitar player. This version is just Simon singing—without Garfunkel. Just as with The Boxer, we can hear that Simon has an incredible, underrated voice that is capable of singing lead on an all-time great song. His voice was not as fantastic as Garfunkels’ but few are. Maybe it was an A compared to an A+. He conveys emotion without overindulging. He is a great example for aspiring male vocalists to emulate.

Leaves That Are Green Lyrics

I’m twenty-two now but I won’t be for long
Time hurries on
And the leaves that are green
Turn to brown
And they wither in the wind
And they crumble in your hand
Once my heart was filled with the love of a girl

I held her close but she faded in the night
Like a poem I meant to write
And the leaves that are green
Turn to brown
And they wither with the wind
And they crumble in your hand
I threw a pebble in a brook
And watched the ripples run away

And they never made a sound
And the leaves that are green
Turn to brown
And they wither iwith the wind
And they crumble in your hand
Hello, hello, hello, hello
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye, goodbye
That’s all there is
And the leaves that are green
Turn to brown

written by Paul Simon

Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go/
So make the best of this test and don’t ask why.

Were it not for the title, “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” I think I would have a completely different take on this song by Green Day. The advice the narrator gives could be to anyone. In fact, when he sings the song we almost think he is giving the advice to himself. (And he very well could be). However, the song’s title is “Good Riddance” which leads us to believe that this is a breakup song and that the ‘you’ he is talking about is an ex-lover.

The narrator repeats the refrain, “I hope you’ve had the time of your life” several times. I think this line is misunderstood. I don’t think he is being sarcastic. I believe he is genuinely sad over a breakup and is sorry (but not so sorry) for the fact that it had to end. Overall, he is wishing his ex-lover the best and wishing that she has fond memories of their time together but knows that he made the right decision in terminating the relationship.

The sound in “Good Riddance” is quite a departure from what we normally hear from Green Day. I would have loved to hear more songs in this vein, as it is clear that they can write and perform amazing ballads. Interestingly, I think their two best songs are their two songs that stray furthest from the rest of their catalog: Good Riddance and Wake Me Up When September ends.

The finger-picking on top of the string arrangement is a classic, and it sounds great over Billie Joe Armstrong’s rough-around-the-edges vocals. The string arrangement is done well and the false start in the beginning is an interesting touch that lets their more hardcore fans know that they are still the foul-mouthed band you know and love.

You may also like this older song, with a similar theme.

Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) Lyrics

Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road,
Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go.
So make the best of this test and don’t ask why,
It’s not a question, but a lesson learned in time.

It’s something unpredictable, but in the end it’s right,
I hope you had the time of your life.

So take the photographs and still frames in your mind.
Hang it on a shelf in good health and good time.
Tattoos of memories and dead skin on trial,
For what it’s worth it was worth all the while.

It’s something unpredictable, but in the end it’s right,
I hope you had the time of your life.

It’s something unpredictable, but in the end it’s right,
I hope you had the time of your life.
It’s something unpredictable, but in the end it’s right,
I hope you had the time of your life.

written by Green Day (Michael Pritchard / Billie Joe Armstrong / Frank Wright)

It’s been seven hours and fifteen days/
Since you took your love away.

“Nothing Compares 2U” by Sinead O’Conner is great song written by Prince.  He never released a version that was anywhere near as good as O’Conner’s. That says a lot about how good this version is. Sometimes covers are better.

“Nothing Compares 2U” is a breakup song: the narrator had her love taken away. If she could give it another shot she would do it in a heartbeat…because no one compares to her ex. But she can’t. It is a very sad song.

There is a great bit of imagery at the end of the song. Whether due to her depression from the breakup, or her simple lack of knowledge of how to properly treat them, the flowers that her lover planted at his house died when she broke up with him: “All the flowers that you planted mama/ in my backyard/ all died when you went away.” Sad.

In “Nothing Compares 2 U” we can hear Sinead’s great voice and the ease with which she sings with emotion. We believe she wrote the song. The string arrangement and production do a lot of work for the song. It makes the song sound melodramatic and sorrowful and that is what it is going for.

O’Conner was a rising star in music after this was released; she was a budding superstar, really…just listen to her. Then she went on SNL and ripped up a picture of the pope and then next thing you knew everyone hated her and her career was basically over. At the time, it was not even really clear what she was upset about, but she was vilified and ostracized.

She was years ahead of her time.

Nothing Compares 2 U Lyrics

It’s been seven hours and fifteen days
Since you took your love away
I go out every night and sleep all day
Since you took your love away

Since you been gone I can do whatever I want
I can see whomever I choose
I can eat my dinner in a fancy restaurant
But nothing
I said nothing can take away these blues
‘Cause nothing compares
Nothing compares to you

It’s been so lonely without you here
Like a bird without a song
Nothing can stop these lonely tears from falling
Tell me baby where did I go wrong

I could put my arms around every boy I see
But they’d only remind me of you
I went to the doctor and guess what he told me?
Guess what he told me?
He said girl you better try to have fun
No matter what you do, but he’s a fool
‘Cause nothing compares
Nothing compares to you

All the flowers that you planted mama
In the back yard
All died when you went away
I know that living with you baby was sometimes hard
But I’m willing to give it another try
‘Cause nothing compares
Nothing compares to you

Nothing compares
Nothing compares to you
Nothing compares
Nothing compares to you

written by Prince