☝️ Key Points
- The song is about longing for home and the reality of life in prison.
- The singer describes his return to his old hometown and the welcome from his parents at the train station.
- There is a romantic description of a loved one named Mary.
- The dream of home and green grass contrasts with the gray reality of the prison.
- In the end, it becomes clear that the singer is in prison and cannot truly return home, but in his dreams, he can still experience the feeling of home.
Interpretation
In the song "Green Green Grass of Home" by
Porter Wagoner, it's about the longing for home and the reality of life in prison.
The singer describes how he returns to his old hometown and his parents greet him at the train station. He also sees a girl named Mary, with golden hair and cherry red lips. For him, it feels good to touch the green grass of home.
He mentions that his old house is still standing, although the paint has peeled off. There is also an old oak tree he used to play on as a child. He walks along the path with his beloved Mary.
But then he wakes up and realizes that it was all just a dream. He is actually in prison, surrounded by gray walls. There is a guard and a sad priest he walks with in the morning. But in his dream, he could still touch the green grass of home.
At the end of the song, it becomes clear that he is in prison and can't really go back home. The people he loved will bury him beneath the green grass of home. But in his dreams, he can still feel the sense of home and the green grass.