I was twenty-one years when I wrote this song.
I'm twenty-two now but I won't be for long
Time hurries on.
And the leaves that are green turn to brown,
And they wither with the wind,
And they crumble in your hand.
Once my heart was filled with the love of a girl.
I held her close, but she faded in the night
Like a poem I meant to write.
And the leaves that are green turn to brown,
And they wither with the wind,
And they crumble in your hand.
I threw a pebble in a brook
And watched the ripples run away
And they never made a sound.
And the leaves that are green turned to brown,
And they wither with the wind,
And they crumble in your hand.
Hello, Hello, Hello, Hello,
Good-bye, Good-bye, Good-bye, Good-bye,
That's all there is.
And the leaves that are green turned to brown.
My goodness, Paul Simon has got to be one of THE BEST songwriters of all time. It's so much fun to go back and listen to his dozens of great tunes; I feel so lucky to have lived through this era and enjoyed his music.
I first remember Leaves That Are Green when my mom used to play the album all time when it was released. I was 3 or 4. My mom tried to explain to me that this song was about youth, growing old, etc. I'm now 53 years old. This song always was a sort of barometer of time for me. Now it's getting close to where I'll "crumble in your hand".
I know now that everything dies two nights ago I was diagnosed with HIV and know now that my life is like the leaves is coming to an end love for all enjoy life while you can
Today is my 22nd birthday, I just heard this song while sitting in a coffee shop and the opening lines were like singing my life aloud. Love Simon and Garfunkel!