The Story Behind "Green"

This song was performed live with no loops, no overdubs, and no punches. There's a bit of effect on the harmonics towards the middle. Chris reversed them to help lead back to the main theme. I performed this song with my Warwick Thumb Bolt-on six string.

"Green" is the first solo composition that I wrote. I believe I was 18 when I began writing it, and it has seen many variations since. The performance on the album is almost like a compromise of those versions (although none really lingered too far from the album version), and I feel it's the best. When I perform "Green" live, it's very close to what you hear on the album.

I wrote "Green" with a younger frame of mind... not that I'm terribly old now. I'm 27... and a half. Anyway, I was at a perspective point in my life where everything seemed to be ahead of me. I was too busy investing my hope of a happy life in my future. The immediate life around me seemed dull and useful to me only as fuel for a brighter future. I was pacing away those moments thinking my real joy would just happen to me... just come knocking on my door when I turned some magic age.

Then I realized the wastefulness of that thinking. All around me was infinite possibility... paths to be explored, mistakes to be made, life to be lived... new growth. At this stand point, everything is new. In this place lives happiness.

So I wrote this song to try to capture that feeling. I was so certain that that thought would fade or just callous over with the friction of time. I was hoping that when I grew older...well past that magic age... that "Green" would be like a time capsule to my youth. You know, something to look back on and go, "Ah, the good ole days...".

I've grown older. I've taken some of those paths... made many, many mistakes. When I feel bogged down and haunted by my past's choices, I look around. Around me is infinite possibilty... paths to explore, mistakes to make, life to live... new growth. At this older stand point, everything is new... everything is green.

So to me, that's what "Green" means. I'm happy this song is around. Though I obviously wrote it for myself, I hope you find some of the same feeling in it.