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Green River Lyrics
Well, take me back down where cool water flows, yeah.
Let me remember things I love,
Stoppin' at the log where catfish bite,
Walkin' along the river road at night,
Barefoot girls dancin' in the moonlight.
I can hear the bullfrog callin' me.
Wonder if my rope's still hangin' to the tree.
Love to kick my feet 'way down the shallow water.
Shoefly, dragonfly, get back t'your mother.
Pick up a flat rock, skip it across Green River.
Welllllll!
Up at Cody's camp I spent my days, oh,
With flat car riders and cross-tie walkers.
Old Cody, Junior took me over,
Said, "You're gonna find the world is smould'rin'.
And if you get lost come on home to Green River."
Welllllll!
Come on home.
Let me remember things I love,
Stoppin' at the log where catfish bite,
Walkin' along the river road at night,
Barefoot girls dancin' in the moonlight.
I can hear the bullfrog callin' me.
Wonder if my rope's still hangin' to the tree.
Love to kick my feet 'way down the shallow water.
Shoefly, dragonfly, get back t'your mother.
Pick up a flat rock, skip it across Green River.
Welllllll!
With flat car riders and cross-tie walkers.
Old Cody, Junior took me over,
Said, "You're gonna find the world is smould'rin'.
And if you get lost come on home to Green River."
Come on home.
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I like Fogerty's version more than when he did it with CCR. They're both great, but I too am tired of people only knowing it from GTA San an.
I appreciate if someone explains to me 2 things on this song:
MANNY: This is a song about the Bayou (strange since CCR members were from CA). The Shoefly/Dragonfly references are literal - just a person enjoying cool water but wanting the bugs to go away. As for the "Flat Car" and "Cross Tie Walkers" lyrics - this refers to railroad workers in camps - in the 1930's. They rode flat cars on the rail lines and the workers installed railroad ties after they were unloaded from the flat cars - these workers were called "Cross-Tie Walkers."
This song is also about the fun times that John Fogerty had, as a child, when his family went on vacation at some place that he referred to as Green River. He later wrote a follow-up song from a teenager's point of view which even referenced Green River. That song was called Swamp River Days.
The term "Green River" itself came from a fountain drink that John used to get at a store such as 7/11. It is a lime soda like drink and it was named Green River. They actually still make these drinks if you know where to look. He wrote down the words "Green River" in his notebook and later used them in this song.