In the late 1980s Brickell was the lead singer with the (now renamed) folk-rock group Edie Brickell & New Bohemians, whose 1988 debut album Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars was a critical and commercial success. The band's follow-up album, Ghost of a Dog (1990), fared less well. As a solo artist, Brickell released Picture Perfect Morning (1994) and Volcano (2003). In 2006 she reunited with some of the original members of the New Bohemians and they released the Stranger Things album.
Brickell had a role as a folk singer in the 1989 film Born on the Fourth of July. Her version of Bob Dylan's "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall" is featured on the film's soundtrack. Many computer users know her from the "Good Times" video which was included as part of the multimedia samples on the Windows 95 installation CD-ROM.
Brickell married songwriter Paul Simon in 1992. They have three children.
Green
Edie Brickell Lyrics
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They look so happy together.
Funny the power of strangers.
Sometimes I wonder if they got it better.
Green. Have you seen green?
Check out the view from the rooftop.
They've got a horse and a big trampoline.
Running and jumping till they drop.Down on the ground and they're rolling around in... green.
Have you seen green?
Have you seen green grass?
So green, grass.
So green.
I'd like to be like that.
I'd like to be like that.
I'd like to be moving on a lawn, so green.
I want to laugh the way they laugh.
See all my blues get back up in the sky.
If only we had what they had.
We'd never worry and we'd never cry for, green.
Have you seen green?
Have you seen grass?
So green, grass.
So green.
I'd like to be like that.
I'd like to be like that.
I'd like to be moving on a lawn, so green.
The lyrics of Edie Brickell's song Green are about the singer's desire to have what her neighbors have. The singer confesses to spying on her neighbors and admiring their happiness. She wonders if they have it better than she does, and envies their seemingly carefree and joyful lives. The focus of the first verse is on the neighbors and how they enjoy life together, while the chorus is a repeated question: "Have you seen green?" The color green is used as a symbol of happiness, contentment, and envy.
In the second verse, the singer describes what she sees from the rooftop - the neighbors have a horse and a big trampoline, and they run, jump, and roll around in the grass that is so green. The singer wants to be like them and be able to laugh the way they do. She wants all her troubles to go away and for her life to be as carefree as theirs. The chorus repeats once again, emphasizing the singer's desire for what the neighbors have.
Overall, the song is about the longing for what one doesn't have and the envy of others who appear to have it all. Edie Brickell's lyrics are reflective of the universal human desire to be happy and content, and the frustration that arises from feeling like we don't have what we need to achieve that state.
Line by Line Meaning
We like to spy on the neighbors.
We enjoy watching our neighbors from afar.
They look so happy together.
Our neighbors seem to be content with their lives.
Funny the power of strangers.
It's strange how we are fascinated with the daily lives of people we don't know.
Sometimes I wonder if they got it better.
At times, I ponder whether our neighbors are living a better life.
Green. Have you seen green?
Green, the color of the grass, reminds us of the happiness we desire in our lives.
Check out the view from the rooftop.
From our rooftop, we get to see what is beyond our property.
They've got a horse and a big trampoline.
Our neighbors own a horse and a massive trampoline.
Running and jumping till they drop.
Our neighbors are having a great time, and they're so lively.
Down on the ground and they're rolling around in... green.
They're in the grass, enjoying the greenery.
Have you seen green?
Green is something we long for.
Have you seen green grass?
Have you seen the beautiful green grass?
So green, grass.
The grass is so green.
So green.
So beautiful.
I'd like to be like that.
I wish to have a life like that.
I'd like to be moving on a lawn, so green.
I would love to dance and play in a green lawn like that.
I want to laugh the way they laugh.
I desire to have a carefree laugh like our neighbors.
See all my blues get back up in the sky.
I wish to forget all my sorrows and have a happy life like theirs.
If only we had what they had.
If only we had the things our neighbors have.
We'd never worry and we'd never cry for, green.
If we had those things, we would never stress or worry about anything.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: EDIE ARLISA BRICKELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind