Eliza Gilkyson (born in Los Angeles, California, in 1950) is an American fo… Read Full Bio ↴Eliza Gilkyson (born in Los Angeles, California, in 1950) is an American folk musician based in Austin, Texas. She has been recording and performing her unique blend of folk, country, and other genres since the late 1970s. She is the daughter of the late Terry Gilkyson, an accomplished songwriter noted for music he composed for Disney. She is the sister of Tony Gilkyson, who played with the Los Angeles-based bands Lone Justice and X. She has collaborated with both during the course of her career.

She received much critical acclaim for her 2005 release, Paradise Hotel, which contains songs that strike a chord with listeners in light of recent events. "Requiem" honors Hurricane Katrina and tsunami victims with hopeful pleas to the Virgin Mary, while "Man of God" is a bitter, unapologetic denouncement of President George W. Bush and his administration.

"The actions of this regime do not follow the teachings of Christ, what I call real Christianity," Gilkyson said in August 2005. "I just don't appreciate the religious right acting like I don't love God and my country just because I'm not in their corner. I'm mad and I want other people to be mad about this too."

In 2008, her album Beautiful World came out, again on Red House Records. The songs vary from pop to folk and points in-between, with songs ranging from intimate ballads to rallying cries against the imperialist machine. She recently collaborated on a new album entitled Red Horse with two of her Red House Records label-mates John Gorka and Lucy Kaplansky.

In 2011, she came out with Roses at the End of Time. Recorded at her home with the help of her son and co-producer Cisco Ryder, Gilkyson took a longer time in the studio and came out with a more eclectic and personal album. She continues to tour about 150 dates per year in the United States and overseas.
www.elizagilkyson.com

Green Fields
Eliza Gilkyson Lyrics

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Once there were greenfields kissed by the sun
Once there were valleys where rivers used to run
Once there was blue sky with white clouds high above
Once they were part of an everlasting love
We were the lovers who strolled through greenfields

Greenfields are gone now parched by the sun
Gone from the valleys where rivers used to run

Gone with the cold wind that swept into my heart
Gone with the lovers who let their dreams depart
Where are the greenfields that we used to roam?

I'll never know what made you run away
How can I keep searching when dark clouds hide the day?
I only know there's nothing here for me
Nothing in this wide world left for me to see

But I'll keep on waitin' 'til you return
I'll keep on waiting until the day you learn
You can't be happy while your heart's on the roam

You can't be happy until you bring it home
Home to the greenfields and me once again

Overall Meaning

Eliza Gilkyson's song Green Fields is a melancholic reflection on the fleeting nature of love and the passage of time. The song opens with the image of green fields that were once kissed by the sun, valleys where rivers flowed and blue skies with white clouds above. These elements are symbols of a time past, a time of happiness and contentment, which are now gone forever, leaving only emptiness and nostalgia. The singer then reveals that she and her lover were the ones who strolled through the green fields, and they were part of an everlasting love; but this love, like the fields they once knew, has disappeared, leaving them alone.

As the song progresses, the lyrics become more desperate, as the singer wonders where the green fields they roamed are now, and if they will ever see them again. She then expresses her sadness and confusion at her lover's departure and her inability to move on from the past. She tells her lover that she will keep waiting for them to return, hoping that they will someday realize that they cannot be happy until they bring their heart home to the green fields and to her once again.

The song's poignant nostalgia and the wistful longing for a past that can never be recovered have resonated with audiences since its release in 2000. Despite its sadness, the song provides a glimmer of hope as it suggests that the singer's lover may one day return to her, and they can once again find happiness in the green fields of their memories.

Line by Line Meaning

Once there were greenfields kissed by the sun
In the past, there were lush green fields that were beautifully illuminated by the sun.

Once there were valleys where rivers used to run
Also in the past, there were attractive valleys that had rivers running through them.

Once there was blue sky with white clouds high above
In the past, there were deep blue skies that had fluffy white clouds floating high above.

Once they were part of an everlasting love
All the above beautiful natural sceneries were once part of a love that was never-ending.

We were the lovers who strolled through greenfields
As lovers, the persona and the subject of the song used to walk leisurely through the beautiful green fields that they have affection for.

Greenfields are gone now parched by the sun
Presently, the green fields that used to be thriving are now dried out due to the scorching sun.

Gone from the valleys where rivers used to run
The valleys which formally had rivers running through them have also lost their charm now that the rivers have dried up.

Gone with the cold wind that swept into my heart
Just like the greenfields that have withered, so has the persona's love. This happened at the same time the cold wind swept into their heart and took away their happiness and peace of mind.

Gone with the lovers who let their dreams depart
The subject's dreams and the love they have shared with the persona has vanished as well, and it is due to the subject's decision to let these dreams vanish.

Where are the greenfields that we used to roam?
The persona is now asking where the lush green fields they used to explore together have gone to. They seem to have been lost with the wind as well.

I'll never know what made you run away
The persona expresses their confusion and inability to comprehend the cause of the subject's decision to run away.

How can I keep searching when dark clouds hide the day?
The persona is questioning how they can possibly resume their search for love and happiness when there are so many problems and difficulties making things more clouded.

I only know there's nothing here for me
The persona is saying that they see nothing in their current situation that makes them content or happy.

Nothing in this wide world left for me to see
The persona has lost its will to explore the world and see new things, given that they have lost something that meant everything to them.

But I'll keep on waitin' 'til you return
Despite everything that has happened, the persona will keep waiting for the subject's return as they still hope to rekindle what was lost.

I'll keep on waiting until the day you learn
The persona is patiently waiting until the day the subject learns that they cannot be happy wandering around, and they have to come home to their love and the green fields they once shared.

You can't be happy while your heart's on the roam
The persona believes that the subject cannot be truly happy if their heart is wandering and restless.

You can't be happy until you bring it home
The persona states that the subject's heart can only find contentment only when they come home to their love and the green fields they once shared.

Home to the greenfields and me once again
The persona is hoping for the subject to come home to the green fields that they used to love and to them so that they can both start again and rebuild the foundation of their love.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, BMG Rights Management
Written by: TERRY GILKYSON, FRANK MILLER, RICHARD DEHR

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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