The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
The wheelbarrow's fallen
Look at my hands
They've found some surplus cheaper hands
Rubbing palms and pick and choose
Who will they choose?
Here is the news
Look at that building
Look at this man
Haloed and whitewashed
Gone to find a cheaper hand
He'll offer a pound
Offer a pound
Green grow the rushes go
Green grow the rushes go
Green grow the rushes go
The compass points the workers home
Pay for your freedom
Or find another gate
Guilt by associate
The rushes wilted a long time ago
Guilty as you go
Stay off that highway
Word is, it's not so safe
The grasses that hide the greenback
The amber waves of gain again
The amber waves of grain
Green grow the rushes go
Green grow the rushes go
Green grow the rushes go
The compass points the workers home
La-la-la la la lye
La-la-la la la lye (green grow the rushes go)
La-la-la la la lye (green grow the rushes go)
La-la-la la la lye (green grow the rushes go)
La-la-la la la lye (green grow the rushes go)
La-la-la la la lye (green grow the rushes go)
La-la-la la la lye (green grow the rushes go)
Look at my hands
They've found some surplus cheaper hands
Rubbing palms and pick and choose
Who will they choose?
Here is the news
Look at that building
Look at this man
Haloed and whitewashed
Gone to find a cheaper hand
He'll offer a pound
Offer a pound
Green grow the rushes go
Green grow the rushes go
Green grow the rushes go
The compass points the workers home
Pay for your freedom
Or find another gate
Guilt by associate
The rushes wilted a long time ago
Guilty as you go
Stay off that highway
Word is, it's not so safe
The grasses that hide the greenback
The amber waves of gain again
The amber waves of grain
Green grow the rushes go
Green grow the rushes go
Green grow the rushes go
The compass points the workers home
La-la-la la la lye
La-la-la la la lye (green grow the rushes go)
La-la-la la la lye (green grow the rushes go)
La-la-la la la lye (green grow the rushes go)
La-la-la la la lye (green grow the rushes go)
La-la-la la la lye (green grow the rushes go)
La-la-la la la lye (green grow the rushes go)
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I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
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Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
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Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
very simply, this song is about American foreign policy back in the 1980's, particularly in Latin America. Exploitation colonialism, in the name of corporate capitalism, has always been the nom du jour for stated American foreign policy. But no one ever calls it that. Today, of course, it's easily understood (why do you think every call you make to a help desk is answered by some one in India??) But back at the time this song was written (1984) this wasn't so self-evident. It was to Michael (stipe) though.
Stay off that highway word is it's not so safe grasses that hide the greenback the amber waves of gain again
the amber waves of gaaaaaain.
Lastly, this song - or at least its main theme - was re-written on REM's last album as "I Wanted To Be Wrong."
That's the impression I got too.
Green Grow The Rushes. The Texan soldiers would sing green grow the rushes when marchimg along the border. The mexicans interpreted it as Gringo-- hence the Mexican term for Americans. Likely stipes word play.
Definitely a song about the plight of migrant farm workers (surplus cheaper hands) how merchants take advantage of the cheap labor and screw the American farm worker (the wheelbarrow's fallen) reaping in huge profits (amber waves of gain).
Never before or since has a protest song been so jangly, melodic, and beautiful, yet at the same time, so very sad. They duplicated this same feat in Lifes Rich Pageant with "Flowers of Guatemala".
REM's albums with IRS were incredible.
i like the way this song lyric deals with the complete tariff charge on plantains from Central/Southern America. Most of the people in the USA couldn't care about such overwrought sentiments albeit the 'college' crowd seemed to. Of all REMs pointed and obscure political songs this one seems most substantiative of the times.
As Stipe said at the time in an interview about the lyrical meaning of this song:
Nice song ... even though REM 'wilted long ago'
I think this means that even though something tempts you to go away and leave the good stuff behind, you should be happy with the stuff you ahve already.
I believe the song describes some sort of farm,and the workers being selected for harvesting work,like picking cotton for example.
I think it has to do with unionization and being shut out of work (cheaper hands, guilt by associate)
silasbrock,I agree -I always thought about migrant workers being taken advantage of,"haloed in whitewash"is pretty harsh (but great) depiction of what I thought could be the "religious" farm boss.
silasbrock,I agree -I always thought about migrant workers being taken advantage of,"haloed in whitewash"is pretty harsh (but great) depiction of what I thought could be the "religious" farm boss.