"Green, Green Grass of Home", written by Claude "Curly" Putman Jr., and first recorded by singer

Johnny Darrell Johnny Darrell (July 23, 1940 – October 7, 1997) was an American country music artist. Darrell was born in Hopewell, Cleburne County, Alabama, Hopewell, Alabama but grew up in Marietta, Georgia. After a stint in the army, he moved to Nashville ...

in 1965, is a

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

song made popular by

Porter Wagoner Porter Wayne Wagoner (August 12, 1927 – October 28, 2007) was an American country music singer known for his flashy Nudie and Manuel suits and blond pompadour. In 1967, he introduced singer Dolly Parton on his television show, ''The Por ...

the same year, when it reached No. 4 on the Country chart. It was also recorded by

Bobby Bare Robert Joseph Bare Sr. (born April 7, 1935) is an American country music singer and songwriter, best known for the songs "Marie Laveau", " Detroit City", and " 500 Miles Away from Home". He is the father of Bobby Bare Jr., also a musician. Earl ...

and by

Jerry Lee Lewis Jerry Lee Lewis (September 29, 1935October 28, 2022) was an American pianist, singer, and songwriter. Nicknamed "The Killer", he was described as "rock 'n' roll's first great wild man". A pioneer of rock and roll and rockabilly music, Lewis m ...

, who included it in his album '' Country Songs for City Folks'' (later re-issued as ''All Country'').

Tom Jones Tom Jones may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Tom Jones (singer) (born 1940), Welsh singer *Tom Jones (writer) (1928–2023), American librettist and lyricist *''The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling'', a novel by Henry Fielding published in 1 ...

learned the song from Lewis' version and, in 1966, he had a worldwide No. 1 hit with it. The song was also recorded by

Joan Baez Joan Chandos Baez (, ; born January 9, 1941) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and activist. Her contemporary folk music often includes songs of protest and social justice. Baez has performed publicly for over 60 years, releasing mo ...

on her 1969 album '' David's Album''.

Lyrics

The singer returns to his childhood home for what seems to be his first visit there since leaving in his youth. When he steps down from the train, his parents are there to greet him, and his sweetheart, Mary, comes running to join them. They meet him with "arms reaching, smiling sweetly". With Mary, the singer strolls at ease among the monuments of his childhood, including "the old oak tree that I used to play on", feeling that "it's good to touch the green, green grass of home". Abruptly, the singer switches from song to

recitation A recitation in a general sense is the act of reciting from memory, or a formal reading of verse or other writing before an audience. Public recitation is the act of reciting a work of writing before an audience. Academic recitation In a ...

, as he awakens and sees "four grey walls" surrounding him and realizes that his return home was only a

dream A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensation (psychology), sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around ...

and that he is actually in

prison A prison, also known as a jail, gaol, penitentiary, detention center, correction center, correctional facility, or remand center, is a facility where Prisoner, people are Imprisonment, imprisoned under the authority of the State (polity), state ...

. As he resumes singing, we learn that the singer is waking on the day of his scheduled

execution Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence ordering that an offender be punished in ...

. He sees a guard and "a sad old padre" who will walk with him to his execution at daybreak, and then he will return home "in the shade of that old oak tree, as they lay me 'neath the green, green grass of home". The

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."

Tom Jones version

Welsh singer

, who was appearing on ''

The Ed Sullivan Show ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York City, New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in September 1971 by the ''CB ...

'' in 1965, visited Colony Records while staying in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. On asking if they had any new works by Jerry Lee Lewis, he was given the new country album. Impressed with the song, Jones recorded and released the song in the UK in 1966 and it reached No. 1 on December 1, staying there for a total of seven weeks. The song also spent 7 weeks at No. 1 on the

Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is the Republic of Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) and compiled on their behalf by the Official Charts Company. Chart rankings are ...

. The song has sold over 1.25 million copies in the UK as of September 2017. Jones' version also reached No. 11 pop, No. 12 easy listening on the ''Billboard'' US charts. In September 2006, Jones performed the song as a duet with Lewis during the taping of the latter's ''Last Man Standing'' TV special in New York City, and credited Lewis with providing the inspiration for his own recording.

Charts

Certifications

References

External links

*
BBC Interview with Tom Jones re. song "Green Green Grass of Home".
{{DEFAULTSORT:Green, Green Grass of Home 1965 songs 1966 singles 1967 singles Schlager songs Songs written by Curly Putman Johnny Darrell songs Porter Wagoner songs Tom Jones (singer) songs Jerry Lee Lewis songs Bobby Bare songs Johnny Cash songs Joan Baez songs Elvis Presley songs Kenny Rogers songs Trini Lopez songs UK singles chart number-one singles Irish Singles Chart number-one singles Dutch Top 40 number-one singles Number-one singles in Norway Songs about death Decca Records singles RCA Records singles RCA Victor singles Christmas number-one singles in the United Kingdom Song recordings produced by Peter Sullivan (record producer)