Green River had little impact outside of Seattle, but their influence within Seattle's music scene would eventually be felt around the world. Their influence reached to both of their contemporaries (Soundgarden, The Melvins) and later Seattle bands (Nirvana, Alice in Chains) sharing the Sub Pop label. Green River's impact continued to live on through the bands who formed after their break-up in 1988: Mother Love Bone, Pearl Jam, Love Battery, and Mudhoney.
They were possibly the first band in Seattle to mix metal, punk, and glam, leading to the sound known later as "grunge." Mark Arm, the group's singer, is widely credited as being the first person to use the term, although in a different manner that is widely used. He has since shown contempt for the label.
They were heavily influenced by the still-obscure Californian proto-grunge/hardcore punk band Tales of Terror, something Green River themselves were not ashamed of or subtle enough not to wear on their sleeves; as they covered Tales of Terror's song 'Ozzy' (re-titled 'Ozzie') from their sole album on their 1987 EP, Dry as a Bone. Tales of Terror, at some point; through touring, wound up in Seattle during the early 80s and played gigs Green River members attended. Apparently they were so 'blown away' by the band that they derived a significant amount of their own style from Tales of Terror. Kurt Cobain himself, as a fan of Green River; also ended up acknowledging Tales of Terror's music as an influence, as evidenced by their presence on his Top 50 albums ever. This influence even still reached Mark Arm and Steve Turner's subsequent band Mudhoney, as decades later, they named a song after Tales of Terror for their 2008 record 'The Lucky Ones'.
Green River had three official releases: Come On Down (EP, 1985), Dry As A Bone (EP, 1987), and Rehab Doll (Full-length 1988). They have an anthology album as well from 1990 entitled Dry as a Bone/Rehab Doll that as its name suggests, combines the two releases plus some bonus material. They have also been included on nine compilations, spanning from the late 80's to the mid 90's.
A Green River reunion occurred on November 30, 1993 during a Pearl Jam concert in Las Vegas, Nevada. Participating in the reunion were Arm, Turner, Gossard, Ament and Chuck Treece, who filled in on drums for Vincent, who at that time was living in Japan. The band performed the songs "Swallow My Pride" and "Ain't Nothing to Do" before leaving the stage.
Green River reunited for four shows in 2008. The line-up for the shows included Ament, Arm, Turner, Vincent, Gossard, and Fairweather. The first show was a warm-up show on July 10, 2008 at the Sunset Tavern in Seattle. The band next played on July 13, 2008 at Marymoor Park near Seattle to honor Sub Pop's 20th anniversary. Green River played another live show on November 28, 2008 at Dante's in Portland, Oregon. Afterward, the band played on November 29, 2008 at the Showbox in Seattle to celebrate The Supersuckers' 20th anniversary. Green River played on May 22, 2009 and May 23, 2009 at the Showbox in Seattle to celebrate the Melvins' 25th anniversary.
Green River was said to have tentative plans to record a new studio album when the band members' schedules permit, to possibly tour and to release remixed and remastered versions of the band's output containing bonus material.
So far only the latter has occurred. In 2016 they released a remixed and remastered version of their 1984 Demo Tape that was never officially released. Most notably, it contains the Green River original song 'Leech' that was subsequently given (or 'stolen' by) to the Melvins and re-titled 'Leeech' because they felt the song 'wasn't of much use' to them but that some people actually consider to be one of or simply their 'best' (hence the Melvins wanted it).
2018 saw the reissue of their debut EP, Come on Down with a demo version of their Deep Six compilation song 'Your Own Best Friend' from that same session as a bonus track. A year later, in 2019, Deluxe versions of Dry as a Bone and Rehab Doll were released; which included a good amount of unreleased material as well as a third release from their personal archive: A live recording from their 1984 era entitled 'Live at the Tropicana 1984'.
Aint Nothin' To Do
Green River Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm so sick of TV, ain't nothing I want to do
And I'm so sick of romance, I'm getting real sick of you
Gotta get on out of here, find me something to do
I want to get on out of here, just ain't nothing to do
I'm so sick of FM, even Casey of you
Gonna get out on the streets, man, just ain't nothing to do
Gotta get on out of here, find me something to do
Ain't nothing to do
Gonna beat up the next hippie, man
Then I'll be beating up you
Look out! Here I comes!
Ow!
Ain't nothing to do, ain't nothing to do
Just ain't nothing to do
Gonna knock up that little girl over there
Then I'll be knocking up you
Ain't nothing to do [4x]
Ain't nothing, aw!
In Green River's song "Aint Nothin' To Do," the lyrics express a sense of boredom and frustration with modern society. The singer is sick of the monotony of TV and romance and wants to find something more exciting to do. The lyrics suggest a desire for rebellion and an urge to break free from the constraints of everyday life. This sentiment is further emphasized in the provocative lines about beating up hippies and knocking up girls.
The song can be seen as a commentary on the state of youth culture in the 1980s, which was marked by a sense of disillusionment and discontent with mainstream society. Green River, a Seattle-based band, was part of the emerging grunge scene and this song captures the raw, punk energy that was a hallmark of that genre. The band members were all in their early twenties when the song was recorded, and their frustration with the status quo is palpable in the lyrics and the aggressive delivery.
In terms of musical style, "Aint Nothin' To Do" features a fast, driving tempo, distorted guitar riffs, and brash vocals. The song is relatively short but packs a powerful punch, capturing the restless energy of a generation looking for something more authentic and meaningful.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh!
Expression of frustration and boredom
I'm so sick of TV, ain't nothing I want to do
Tired of watching television shows and feeling aimless
And I'm so sick of romance, I'm getting real sick of you
Bored of romantic relationships and the person speaking to
Gotta get on out of here, find me something to do
Need to leave the current place and engaged in something productive
I want to get on out of here, just ain't nothing to do
Desiring to escape the current situation as there is no worthwhile activity
I'm so sick of FM, even Casey of you
Frustrated with FM radio and the person named Casey
Gonna get out on the streets, man, just ain't nothing to do
Planning to go on the streets as there is nothing else to do
Gotta get on out of here, find me something to do
Emphasizing the need for a meaningful activity
I'm gonna get on out of here, just ain't nothing to do, no!
Reiterating the tiredness of current situation and strong desire to find something to do
Ain't nothing to do
Repeating the main theme of the song, nothing to do
Gonna beat up the next hippie, man
Violent expression towards hippies
Then I'll be beating up you
Threatening the person spoken to
Look out! Here I comes!
Imagining oneself as a dangerous person
Ow!
Expression of excitement
Ain't nothing to do, ain't nothing to do
Repeating the chorus
Just ain't nothing to do
Continuing to emphasize the lack of worthwhile activities
Gonna knock up that little girl over there
Expressing a desire for sexual activity with a young girl
Then I'll be knocking up you
Threatening the person spoken to with sexual activity
Ain't nothing to do [4x]
Repeating the chorus several times
Ain't nothing, aw!
Ending the song with the same theme of nothing to do
Lyrics Ā© OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
poorguyfromharlem gaming
Dead Boys will always be my favorite of this, but Green river done an amazing cover.
Shimiruu
I really, really want to own an original Dry as a Bone vinyl..that would be so badass
El Yaqui
Dude!!!!
I got one when I was like 15 at Amoeba!.
Still got it
El Yaqui
That Scream!
Damn it's been at least 15 years since I've heard this!
Crazy
Brian Jones
That Tarzan yell in the beginning š³ š š¤š¤š¤
yousef macer
It is obvious where kurt got his vocal influence
Jose Cano
@Rand al'Thor Nirvana, Alice In Chains, and several other Seattle bands looked up to Green River and Mudhoney, Nirvana the most
Rand al'Thor
yousef macer nirvana just wanted to be Mudhoney & when they became more it killed Kurdt.
Punk & Metal & Vidya
Killer Dead Boys cover.
Jeshua MuƱoz
estaba escuchando Young Loud And Snotty y me dije: este tema estĆ” bueno pero lo conosco. De donde? Jaja