Green, Green Grass of Home

The old home town looks the same as I step down from the train
and there to meet me is my mama and papa;
Down the road I look and there runs Mary, hair of gold and lips like cherries,
it's good to touch the green, green grass of home.

Yes, they'll all come to meet me arms a'reaching, smiling sweetly;
It's good to touch the green, green grass of home.

The old house is still standing, though the paint is cracked and dry,
and there's that old oak tree that I used to play on;
Down the lane I walk and with my sweet Mary, hair of gold and lips like cherries,
it's good to touch the green, green grass of home.

Then I awake and look around me at the four gray walls that surround me and I realize that
I was only dreaming. For there's a guard and there's a sad old padre.
Arm and arm we'll walk at daybreak - again I'll touch the green, green grass of home.

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.

Kenny Rogers 1977

I decided it was time to mix it up a bit. So we went old school in a whole different genre. Let me start by saying I am in no way a Kenny Rogers expert. I am not even a fan but we had to mix it up. Kenny is definitely an influential singer and has been around forever.

This song is about a man that has been away from home for an undetermined amount of time. He is coming home and seeing his parents and what we assume his girlfriend. He is stepping off the train and touching the grass. He speaks of seeing the old oak tree, and the family house, walking along with his girl.

The hero than finds himself surrounded by four walls, he is in prison. He is actually awaiting his execution but he is dreaming of life outside. He will return home when he is dead and buried.

I can't really put much more meaning to the song than the literal. Briefly listening to it I could also apply it to a serviceman or woman overseas for sometime.

So Rick, we totally flipped the coin. What do you think?

Walk With Me in Hell

Pray for blood
Pray for the cleansing
Pray for the flood
Pray for the end of this nightmare
This lie of a life can as quickly as it came dissolve

We seek only reprieve and welcome the darkness
The myth of a meaning so lost and forgotten

Take hold of my hand
For you are no longer alone
Walk with me in hell

Pray for solace
Pray for resolve
Pray for a savior
Pray for deliverance, some kind of purpose
A glimpse of a light in this void of existence

Now witness the end of an age
Hope dies in hands of believers
Who seek the truth in the liar's eye

Take hold of my hand
For you are no longer alone
Walk with me in hell

Walk with me in hell
Walk with me in hell
Walk with me in hell
Walk with me in hell
Walk with me in hell

Take hold of my hand
For you are no longer alone
Walk with me in hell
Walk with me in hell
Walk with me in hell

You're never alone
You're never alone
You're never alone
You're never alone
You're never alone

Walk with me in hell

- Lamb Of God (2006)

In the space of a few short years Lamb Of God went from obscurity in Richmond, VA to become one of the most important acts on the American metal scene. With their high level of musicianship coupled with Randy Blythe's pseudo-demonic voice, these guys quickly found favor. This particular song is interesting in that for the final take, the producer had Randy run 2 laps around the building where the recording studio was located, then come back in and record the song. That version, with Randy out of breath, is the version we hear on the album.

So many meanings can be taken from this song. This is truly one of those where it is left to the listener to figure out what it means to them. One can see a tormented man reaching out for help before something terrible happens. Another person could see one with Multiple Personality Disorder, and one dominant dark personality is entreating another more passive personality to aquiesce. Still one could go the social route and see one person trying to drag others down to their level. There are even political angles that could be attacked with this song. The possibilities are truly endless.

As for me, I go with option A. The person here is troubled and is reaching out to someone. When he finally finds someone he trusts, he lets them in... the journey through hell, as it were. The journey may be scary, but our hero has control over these demons and will keep his companion safe on the journey. The heaviness of the music adds to the weight of the journey that is about to be undertaken.

This song is my favorite Lamb Of God song and is on my list of all time favorite songs. It's a dark and heavy song with good open lyrics. I wonder what Mardi thinks.

Well, I'm off to charge my iPod.

Summertime is Gone

A new cold breeze in the air
Wish I could take you up there
Where we would drown in the sun
But summertime is gone

A chilly wind through my spine
And heavy clouds in decline
Winter's work has begun
And summertime is gone

And I wanna see you once again
And I wanna touch you once again
Oh, this is what dreams are made of
My, oh my
These soothing times
The summer wine
Summertime is gone!

Now clouds are hanging low
And paint the land in snow
The equinox is through and done
And summertime is gone

I dream a little dream of summer days
And spread my wings of dreams to leave this place
With summershine and dreams for two
One for me and one for you
I dream a little dream of summer days

Tiamat 2008

I found this song to be highly appropriate as the summer comes to an end, and today is cold in Minnesota. That being said let's dive in.

This song has our hero singing to his love. Speaking of times gone by. Dreaming of when they can return. To me this song speaks of a time when two lovers were together, when they had each other to themselves. A summer fling, a forbidden romance. That time has now ended and our hero is dreaming of when it will come back.

I suppose this could be applied to many areas but the song so obviously speaks of love. You know the kind, where everything is right in that moment. No one exists but the two of you and nothing matters. Time seems to stand still, yet rushes past way too fast at the same time. It's a moment when you can see the others soul in their eyes and feel their heart beating.

We than come to the end of the romance, or the pause during the seperation and we find our hero longing for it. He has succumbed to the fact that, that moment is over but is dreaming of more to come. Dreaming of the moment when the two can be reunited and share their love once again.

All in all I find this to be a very romantic, dreamy song. Let's see what my counterpart has to say.

Wishlist

I wish I was a neutron bomb, for once I could go off
I wish I was a sacrifice but somehow still lived on
I wish I was a sentimental ornament you hung on the Christmas tree
I wish I was the star that went on top

I wish I was the evidence, I wish I was the grounds
For 50 million hands upraised and open toward the sky

I wish I was a sailor with someone who waited for me
I wish I was as fortunate, as fortunate as me
I wish I was a messenger and all the news was good
I wish I was the full moon shining off a camaros hood

I wish I was an alien at home behind the sun
I wish I was the souvenir you kept your house key on
I wish I was the pedal brake that you depended on
I wish I was the verb to trust and never let you down
I wish I was a radio song, the one that you turned up

I wish...
I wish...

- Pearl Jam (1998)

Pearl Jam was one of the few things about the 90's alternative scene that managed to stand the test of time. Eddie Vedder's smooth voice lent a great counterpoint to the distortion of the guitars. The music was soulful and deep. I don't know if any of our readers out there caught the 1993 MTV Music Awards performance of Pearl Jam and Neil Young, but that was definitely one for the ages. I had the good fortune of seeing Pearl Jam in 2000... that remains one of the best concerts I ever attended.

While my favorite song from the album Yield is "Given to Fly", this one rates a very close second. Without sounding like a stalker, the singer is telling his love that he wants to be her all. It's that feeling of love for someone so deep that there is nothing he won't do for her. Anyone, man or woman, who has ever been in love knows this feeling. Although we can't tell if he's looking in from the outside or is trying to find a way to express his love, he certainly lets us feel it.

There really isn't much more to say about this song. It's simple, short and to the point. Anyone who has been in love knows the feeling of wanting to surrender. What do you think, Mardi?