Green Green Grass of Home
Encyclopedia
"Green, Green Grass of Home", written by Claude "Curly" Putman, Jr.
, is a country
song originally made popular by Porter Wagoner
in 1965 and Bobby Bare
in 1965. It was sung later by Tom Jones
in 1966 when it reached number one in the UK Singles Chart
on 3 December staying there for a total of seven weeks. It had also been recorded the previous year, 1965, by Jerry Lee Lewis
, and included on his album Country Songs For City Folks (later re-issued as All Country), and Jones learned the song from Lewis's version. The Tom Jones record reached #11 pop, #12 easy listening on the Billboard US charts.
Since then it has been a popular cover song
recorded by many such as Charley Pride
, on his 1966 album Country, Johnny Cash
on his 1968 album Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison, Merle Haggard
on his 1968 album "Mama Tried
", Hank Snow
on his 1968 album Hits, Hits, and more Hits, Joan Baez
on her 1969 album David's Album
, Pavel Novak - Czech Singer in 1968, Stompin' Tom Connors
on his album Stompin' Tom Connors, 'LIVE' at the Horseshoe in 1971, Elvis Presley
in 1975 on his album Today, and Kenny Rogers
on his self-titled album, Kenny Rogers, in 1977. The song was also recorded by Gram Parsons
and The Flying Burrito Brothers
but was not released until 1976, on Sleepless Nights
, a posthumous, Gram Parsons
compilation album. (Parson's friend Clarence White and his band, the short-lived Nashville West
, released yet another version of the song.) Countless others such as the great Trini Lopez
have recorded this classic, making it a timeless country favorite.
With lyrics in Swedish
by Stig Anderson
as "En sång en gång för längese'n", both Björn Ulvaeus
's Hootenanny Singers
and Jan Malmsjö
had each 1967 Svensktoppen
hit with the song, for six respectively 33 weeks. This language version was also recorded by Lotta Engberg
in 1997. With lyrics in Portuguese
by Geraldo Figueiredo as "Os Verdes Campos da Minha Terra", it was recorded in Brazil
by Agnaldo Timóteo (1967), Belmonte and Amaraí (1968), Roberto Leal
, and others. In 1978, this song was covered by Filipino
singer Sam Sorono (1950–2008) on his Sings Tom Jones' Greatest Hits LP album with EMI Records
. The song was also recorded with lyrics in Serbian
by Riblja Čorba
as "Zelena trava doma mog", in 1993. Jussi Raittinen has made the song in Finnish, under name "On ihmeen hyvä kotiin tulla taas". In 2000, the Norwegian rock band Jetsurfers
released a rock version of the song, on their debut album.
Katherine Jenkins
released the song as a single on 20 November 2006, and it was included on her Serenade
album during the same year. A live version was included on the single, which was recorded at the Millennium Stadium
in Cardiff
, just prior to the Australia versus Wales Rugby match on 4 November 2006.
In February 2009 Tom Jones performed the song live on a special Take-Away Show with Vincent Moon
, along with If He Should Ever Leave You and We Got Love
live in front of a camera in a hotel room in New York.
The late Singaporean
singer/songwriter
/lyricist
Su Yin (舒雲) covered this song in Mandarin Chinese language with Chinese
lyrics written by himself and given the title name of 一片青青的草地, appearing on his LP album 黃昏放牛＊一片青青的草地, released by EMI Columbia Records
in 1967.
Renowned Korean folk singer 조영남 (Jo Young Nam) did a cover of the song, with translated title and lyrics, called 고향의 푸른 잔디 (Gohyang-ui pooreun jandhi).
There is a Japanese version of the song entitled "思い出のグリーングラス" (Omoide no GURIINGURASU) by 森山良子 (Ryōko Moriyama
).
In Hong Kong
, this song was covered by female singer/organist
Ma Chia Nar (馬嘉娜), on her LP album For Mama．There Goes My Everything with the lcoal Life Records in 1973. Also, another Hong Kong
female singer May Cheng (鄭寶雯) covered the song in Cantonese
language with Chinese
lyrics written by Cheng Kwok Kong (鄭國江) and given the title name of 故園芳草綠, on her LP album 柔情常在, released by the local Bang Bang Records in 1979.
In September 2006 Jones performed the song as a duet with Jerry Lee Lewis
during the taping of the latter's "Last Man Standing" TV special in New York City, and credited Lewis with providing the inspiration behind his own recording.
Tom Jones sung the song on the 2009/10 edition of Jool's Annual Hootenanny on 1 January 2010.
Abruptly, the man switches from song to speech as he awakens in prison
: "Then I awake and look around me, at four grey walls that surround me. And I realize that I was only dreaming." He is, indeed, on death row. As the singing resumes, we learn that the man is waking on the day of his scheduled execution ("there's a guard, and there's a sad old padre
...on and on [or "arm in arm"] we'll walk at daybreak"), and he will return home only to be buried: "Yes, they'll all come to see me in the shade of that old oak tree, as they lay me 'neath the green, green grass of home."
The Joan Baez version ends: "Yes, we'll all be together in the shade of the old oak tree / When we meet beneath the green, green grass of home."
Curly Putman
Claude "Curly" Putman, Jr. is an American songwriter, based in Nashville. His biggest success was "Green, Green Grass of Home" , which was covered by Elvis Presley, Johnny Darrell, Gram Parsons, Joan Baez, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, Roberto Leal, Merle Haggard, Bobby Bare, Joe Tex, Nana...
, is a country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
song originally made popular by Porter Wagoner
Porter Wagoner
Porter Wayne Wagoner was a popular American country music singer known for his flashy Nudie and Manuel suits and blond pompadour. He introduced the young Dolly Parton near the beginning of her career on his long-running television show, and they were a well-known duet throughout the late 1960s and...
in 1965 and Bobby Bare
Bobby Bare
Robert Joseph Bare is an American country music singer and songwriter. He is the father of Bobby Bare, Jr., also a musician.-Early career:...
in 1965. It was sung later by Tom Jones
Tom Jones (singer)
Sir Thomas John Woodward, OBE , known by his stage name Tom Jones, is a Welsh singer.Since the mid 1960s, Jones has sung many styles of popular music – pop, rock, R&B, show tunes, country, dance, techno, soul and gospel – and sold over 100 million records...
in 1966 when it reached number one in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
on 3 December staying there for a total of seven weeks. It had also been recorded the previous year, 1965, by Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis is an American rock and roll and country music singer-songwriter and pianist. An early pioneer of rock and roll music, Lewis's career faltered after he married his young cousin, and he afterwards made a career extension to country and western music. He is known by the nickname 'The...
, and included on his album Country Songs For City Folks (later re-issued as All Country), and Jones learned the song from Lewis's version. The Tom Jones record reached #11 pop, #12 easy listening on the Billboard US charts.
Since then it has been a popular cover song
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
recorded by many such as Charley Pride
Charley Pride
Charley Frank Pride is an American country music singer. His smooth baritone voice was featured on thirty-nine number-one hits on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. His greatest success came in the early- to mid-1970s, when he became the best-selling performer for RCA Records since Elvis...
, on his 1966 album Country, Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
on his 1968 album Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison, Merle Haggard
Merle Haggard
Merle Ronald Haggard is an American country music singer, guitarist, fiddler, instrumentalist, and songwriter. Along with Buck Owens, Haggard and his band The Strangers helped create the Bakersfield sound, which is characterized by the unique twang of Fender Telecaster guitars, vocal harmonies,...
on his 1968 album "Mama Tried
Mama Tried (album)
Mama Tried is an album by American country singer Merle Haggard, released in 1968.The song "Mama Tried" won the Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 1999.-Reissues:* In 1996, Mama Tried was reissued by BGO along with I'm a Lonesome Fugitive....
", Hank Snow
Hank Snow
Clarence Eugene "Hank" Snow was a Canadian-American country music artist. He charted more than 70 singles on the Billboard country charts from 1950 until 1980...
on his 1968 album Hits, Hits, and more Hits, Joan Baez
Joan Baez
Joan Chandos Baez is an American folk singer, songwriter, musician and a prominent activist in the fields of human rights, peace and environmental justice....
on her 1969 album David's Album
David's Album
David's Album was a 1969 album by Joan Baez, recorded in Nashville. It was Baez' eleventh album to date. It peaked at number 36 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart.-History:...
, Pavel Novak - Czech Singer in 1968, Stompin' Tom Connors
Stompin' Tom Connors
Charles Thomas "Stompin' Tom" Connors, OC is one of Canada's most prolific and well-known country and folk singers.He lives in Wellington County, Ontario.- Early life :...
on his album Stompin' Tom Connors, 'LIVE' at the Horseshoe in 1971, Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
in 1975 on his album Today, and Kenny Rogers
Kenny Rogers
Kenneth Donald "Kenny" Rogers is an American singer-songwriter, photographer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur...
on his self-titled album, Kenny Rogers, in 1977. The song was also recorded by Gram Parsons
Gram Parsons
Gram Parsons was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and pianist. Parsons is best known for his work within the country genre; he also mixed blues, folk, and rock to create what he called "Cosmic American Music"...
and The Flying Burrito Brothers
The Flying Burrito Brothers
The Flying Burrito Brothers was an early country rock band, best known for its influential debut album,The Gilded Palace of Sin . Although the group is most often mentioned in connection with country rock legends Gram Parsons and Chris Hillman, the group underwent many personnel changes.-Original...
but was not released until 1976, on Sleepless Nights
Sleepless Nights
Sleepless Nights is a 2002 direct-to-video horror film in the vampire movie genre. It was written and directed by William Hopkins....
, a posthumous, Gram Parsons
Gram Parsons
Gram Parsons was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and pianist. Parsons is best known for his work within the country genre; he also mixed blues, folk, and rock to create what he called "Cosmic American Music"...
compilation album. (Parson's friend Clarence White and his band, the short-lived Nashville West
Nashville West
As a session band, Nashville West recorded prolifically, though never under the Nashville West name, backing other artists on Gary S. Paxton's record label. However, in 1976, an album under the name Nashville West was eventually released on the Sierra Records label...
, released yet another version of the song.) Countless others such as the great Trini Lopez
Trini Lopez
Trini Lopez is an American singer, guitarist and actor.-Career:Lopez was born in Dallas, Texas, on Ashland Street in the Little Mexico neighborhood. He began his entertainment career in Dallas playing at the Vegas Club, a nightclub owned by Jack Ruby...
have recorded this classic, making it a timeless country favorite.
With lyrics in Swedish
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
by Stig Anderson
Stig Anderson
Stig 'Stikkan' Erik Leopold Anderson was born in Hova, Sweden, and is best known as the manager of the pop group ABBA.- Polar Music:Anderson was the founder of the Polar Music record label in 1963...
as "En sång en gång för längese'n", both Björn Ulvaeus
Björn Ulvaeus
Björn Kristian Ulvaeus is a Swedish songwriter, composer, musician, writer, producer, a former member of the Swedish musical group ABBA , and co-composer of the musicals Chess, Kristina från Duvemåla, and Mamma Mia!...
's Hootenanny Singers
Hootenanny Singers
The Hootenanny Singers were a popular folk group from Sweden, founded in 1961, and continuing into the 1970s. The group included Björn Ulvaeus, who later was a member of ABBA. Other bandmembers were Johan Karlberg, Tony Roth and Hansi Schwarz...
and Jan Malmsjö
Jan Malmsjö
Jan Wilhelm Malmsjö is a Swedish stage and actor, musical star and singer. He is married to Marie Göranzon and father to Jonas Malmsjö.-Biography:...
had each 1967 Svensktoppen
Svensktoppen
Svensktoppen is a record chart at Sveriges Radio. Until January 2003, the songs had to be in the Swedish language. Svensktoppen has aired since 1962, except for the years 1982-1985. Svensktoppen airs once a week...
hit with the song, for six respectively 33 weeks. This language version was also recorded by Lotta Engberg
Lotta Engberg
-External links:* *...
in 1997. With lyrics in Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
by Geraldo Figueiredo as "Os Verdes Campos da Minha Terra", it was recorded in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
by Agnaldo Timóteo (1967), Belmonte and Amaraí (1968), Roberto Leal
Roberto Leal
Roberto Leal, stage name of António Joaquim Fernandes, is a Portuguese-Brazilian singer, born in Macedo de Cavaleiros municipality, Braganza district, in northeast Portugal. He has sold more than 17 million albums, and has received 30 golden records and 5 platinum records.In 1962 his family moved...
, and others. In 1978, this song was covered by Filipino
Filipino people
The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....
singer Sam Sorono (1950–2008) on his Sings Tom Jones' Greatest Hits LP album with EMI Records
EMI Records
EMI Records is the flagship record label founded by the EMI company in 1972 and launched in January 1973 as the successor to its Columbia label. The EMI label was launched worldwide...
. The song was also recorded with lyrics in Serbian
Serbian language
Serbian is a form of Serbo-Croatian, a South Slavic language, spoken by Serbs in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and neighbouring countries....
by Riblja Čorba
Riblja Corba
Riblja Čorba is a Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band. Their presence on the scene has lasted from 1978 to today. They reached their peak of popularity in the 1980s, but it has declined in the 1990s, partly due to controversial political attitudes of the band's leader Bora Đorđević...
as "Zelena trava doma mog", in 1993. Jussi Raittinen has made the song in Finnish, under name "On ihmeen hyvä kotiin tulla taas". In 2000, the Norwegian rock band Jetsurfers
Jetsurfers
Jetsurfers was a Norwegian band from Oslo. The band has released three studio albums, one live album and one compilation album.- History :...
released a rock version of the song, on their debut album.
Katherine Jenkins
Katherine Jenkins
Katherine Jenkins is a Welsh mezzo-soprano. She is a classical-popular crossover singer who performs across a spectrum of operatic arias, popular songs, musical theatre and hymns.-Early life and education:...
released the song as a single on 20 November 2006, and it was included on her Serenade
Serenade (Katherine Jenkins album)
Serenade is the fourth album by Welsh mezzo-soprano Katherine Jenkins, released on 6 November 2006, in the UK. It charted at number 5 on the UK Albums Chart and at number 1 on the UK Classical Album Chart.- Track listing :...
album during the same year. A live version was included on the single, which was recorded at the Millennium Stadium
Millennium Stadium
The Millennium Stadium is the national stadium of Wales, located in the capital, Cardiff. It is the home of the Wales national rugby union team and also frequently stages games of the Wales national football team, but is also host to many other large scale events, such as the Super Special Stage...
in Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, just prior to the Australia versus Wales Rugby match on 4 November 2006.
In February 2009 Tom Jones performed the song live on a special Take-Away Show with Vincent Moon
Vincent Moon
Vincent Moon is an independent filmmaker from Paris mainly known for his field work music videos of indie rock related musicians as well as some notable mainstream artists like Tom Jones, R.E.M. or Arcade Fire. Besides making music videos he also makes experimental films and documentaries...
, along with If He Should Ever Leave You and We Got Love
We Got Love
"We Got Love" is a song written by Bernie Lowe and Kal Mann. It was released as a single by Bobby Rydell in 1959. The song became a hit, charting at number six on the Billboard Hot 100. A cover version by Alma Cogan became a hit on the UK Singles Chart, where it peaked at number twenty-six.The song...
live in front of a camera in a hotel room in New York.
The late Singaporean
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
singer/songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
/lyricist
Lyricist
A lyricist is a songwriter who specializes in lyrics. A singer who writes the lyrics to songs is a singer-lyricist. This differentiates from a singer-composer, who composes the song's melody.-Collaboration:...
Su Yin (舒雲) covered this song in Mandarin Chinese language with Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
lyrics written by himself and given the title name of 一片青青的草地, appearing on his LP album 黃昏放牛＊一片青青的草地, released by EMI Columbia Records
Columbia Graphophone Company
The Columbia Graphophone Company was one of the earliest gramophone companies in the United Kingdom. Under EMI, as Columbia Records, it became a very successful label in the 1950s and 1960s...
in 1967.
Renowned Korean folk singer 조영남 (Jo Young Nam) did a cover of the song, with translated title and lyrics, called 고향의 푸른 잔디 (Gohyang-ui pooreun jandhi).
There is a Japanese version of the song entitled "思い出のグリーングラス" (Omoide no GURIINGURASU) by 森山良子 (Ryōko Moriyama
Ryoko Moriyama
, is a Japanese folk and jazz singer. Her father is Hisashi Moriyama, a pioneer of Japanese jazz. Her son Naotaro Moriyama is a singer. Her first cousin Hiroshi Kamayatsu is also a musician....
).
In Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, this song was covered by female singer/organist
Organist
An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists...
Ma Chia Nar (馬嘉娜), on her LP album For Mama．There Goes My Everything with the lcoal Life Records in 1973. Also, another Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
female singer May Cheng (鄭寶雯) covered the song in Cantonese
Cantonese
Cantonese is a dialect spoken primarily in south China.Cantonese may also refer to:* Yue Chinese, the Chinese language that includes Cantonese* Cantonese cuisine, the cuisine of Guangdong province...
language with Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
lyrics written by Cheng Kwok Kong (鄭國江) and given the title name of 故園芳草綠, on her LP album 柔情常在, released by the local Bang Bang Records in 1979.
In September 2006 Jones performed the song as a duet with Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis is an American rock and roll and country music singer-songwriter and pianist. An early pioneer of rock and roll music, Lewis's career faltered after he married his young cousin, and he afterwards made a career extension to country and western music. He is known by the nickname 'The...
during the taping of the latter's "Last Man Standing" TV special in New York City, and credited Lewis with providing the inspiration behind his own recording.
Tom Jones sung the song on the 2009/10 edition of Jool's Annual Hootenanny on 1 January 2010.
Chart performance
| Chart (1967) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Irish Singles Chart | 1 |
| UK Singles Chart | 1 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart | 1 |
| Australian Kent Music Report | 1 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 2 |
| Austrian Top 40 | 2 |
| German Singles Chart | 6 |
| Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary Singles | 10 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 11 |
| Canadian RPM Top 100 | 47 |
The lyrics
A man returns to his childhood home; it seems that this is his first visit home since leaving in his youth. When he steps down from the train, his parents are there to greet him, and his beloved, Mary, comes running to join them. All is welcome and peace; all come to meet him with "arms reaching, smiling sweetly." With Mary the man strolls at ease among the monuments of his childhood, including "the old oak tree that I used to play on." It is "good to touch the green, green grass of home." Yet the music and the words are full of foreshadowing, strongly suggestive of mourning.Abruptly, the man switches from song to speech as he awakens in prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
: "Then I awake and look around me, at four grey walls that surround me. And I realize that I was only dreaming." He is, indeed, on death row. As the singing resumes, we learn that the man is waking on the day of his scheduled execution ("there's a guard, and there's a sad old padre
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
...on and on [or "arm in arm"] we'll walk at daybreak"), and he will return home only to be buried: "Yes, they'll all come to see me in the shade of that old oak tree, as they lay me 'neath the green, green grass of home."
The Joan Baez version ends: "Yes, we'll all be together in the shade of the old oak tree / When we meet beneath the green, green grass of home."