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'.
Forever Means
Green River Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I don't come for fun at all
This ain't no social call
I bet you wanted more
What you see is what you get
I ain't seen nothing I want yet
This is something deep, today, I'll try
This is something deep, today, I'll die
Some things are better left unsaid
Some things are better left undone
Some things are better left for dead
Some things are better left
What you get is what you see
Look out, ooh, I don't aim to please
Forever means nothing to me right now, right now
Forever means nothing to me right now, right now
Right
This ain't no social call
I ain't here for your fun at all
This ain't no social call
Too bad you were expecting fun
Some things are better left unsaid
Too bad you don't understand
Some things are better left undone
Some things are better left undead
This is forever, okay?
Some things are better left
Some things are better left unsaid
Some things are better left undone
Some things are better left undead
Some things are better left
Left burning
The lyrics to Green River's song Forever Means suggest a message of seriousness and intent. The singer seems to be indicating a lack of interest in socializing and having fun. This is made clear from the opening line, which states that this is not a social call, and continues to repeat this sentiment several times throughout the song. The singer is drawing attention to the fact that they are not interested in superficial or fleeting relationships, but rather something deeper, something that is worth sacrificing oneself for. This is reflected in the lines "This is something deep, today, I'll try, This is something deep, today, I'll die."
The song then goes on to talk about the idea that some things are better left unsaid, or undone, or even left for dead, emphasizing the idea of the singer's preference for honesty, truth, and intention in all their actions. The repeated references to "some things" suggest that the singer has seen or experienced something that has given them a sense of clarity and a heightened understanding of the world. They are choosing to live their life with intention and make decisions based on this knowledge, rather than getting caught up in the temporary pleasures of life.
In the chorus, the singer emphasizes the idea that "forever means nothing to me right now", which further emphasizes the part of the song that is about living in the moment and making choices based on what is important right now. This is a song that speaks to the idea of being true to oneself, and the importance of living life with purpose and intention.
Line by Line Meaning
This ain't no social call
I am not here to have fun or be social with you
I don't come for fun at all
I have no interest in enjoying myself while I'm with you
I bet you wanted more
You were probably hoping for something different than what I'm here for
What you see is what you get
There's no hidden agenda or surprises, I am what I appear to be
I ain't seen nothing I want yet
I have not found anything enjoyable or valuable in this situation
This is something deep, today, I'll try
There is something important or significant happening, and I will do my best to handle it
This is something deep, today, I'll die
The situation is so serious or intense that it may have fatal consequences, but I am committed to seeing it through
Some things are better left unsaid
There are some thoughts or feelings that are best kept to oneself
Some things are better left undone
There are some actions that are best not taken or situations that are better left alone
Some things are better left for dead
There are some memories or situations that are best forgotten or left in the past
Some things are better left
Some things are just not worth pursuing or discussing
What you get is what you see
There are no hidden motives, I am being completely transparent
Look out, ooh, I don't aim to please
I have no intention of catering to someone else's desires or needs
Forever means nothing to me right now, right now
The concept of forever or long-term commitment is irrelevant or unimportant at this moment
Forever means nothing to me right now, right now
The concept of forever or long-term commitment is irrelevant or unimportant at this moment
This ain't no social call
I am not here to have fun or be social with you
I ain't here for your fun at all
I am not interested in making this situation enjoyable for anyone
This ain't no social call
I am not here to have fun or be social with you
Too bad you were expecting fun
It's unfortunate that you were hoping for a different outcome than what I am here to provide
Some things are better left unsaid
There are some thoughts or feelings that are best kept to oneself
Too bad you don't understand
It's a shame that you don't realize the significance or seriousness of the situation
Some things are better left undone
There are some actions that are best not taken or situations that are better left alone
Some things are better left undead
There are some memories or situations that are best forgotten or left in the past
This is forever, okay?
The situation or outcome will have a permanent impact and cannot be changed
Some things are better left
Some things are just not worth pursuing or discussing
Some things are better left unsaid
There are some thoughts or feelings that are best kept to oneself
Some things are better left undone
There are some actions that are best not taken or situations that are better left alone
Some things are better left undead
There are some memories or situations that are best forgotten or left in the past
Some things are better left
Some things are just not worth pursuing or discussing
Left burning
The situation or emotions have been left to simmer and smolder, potentially leading to a fiery conclusion
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Jeff Ament, Mark Arm, Bruce Fairweather, Stone Gossard, Alex Vincent
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
b
This ain't no social call
I don't come for fun at all
This ain't no social call
Bet you're wantin' fun
What you see is what you get
I ain't seen nothing I want yet
This is stronger than the day I die
This is stronger than the day I die
Some things are better left unsaid
Some things are better left unthought
Some things are better left for dead
Some things are better left (burning)
What you get is what you see
Look out, I don't aim to please
Forever means nothing to me right now
Forever means nothing to me right now
This ain't no social call
I ain't here for your fun at all
This ain't no social call
Too bad you were expecting fun
Без_ трусиков
Lautaro Toledo 1. Smells like teen spirit - “Godzilla BOC” sounds the same, just sped up (https://youtu.be/ozs-KJS-7QQ) no wonder they hated this song, because they stole it, right? and “the daggerman that girl”, “pixies” u-mass”
2. Come as you are - 22 faces Garden of delight, The damned life goes on
3. Rape me - “Mudhoney need”
4. Heart shaped box - “Butthole surfers Bar b q”, even vocal part “HEY WAIT”
5. Aneurysm - “Fang an invitation”
6. About a girl - “Hrast - Parni Valjak”, croatian band, Krist Novoselic is from Croatia...
7. Polly - “The 4 skins on the streets”
8. Breed “wipers potential suicide”
9. Mr moustache- “Paul revere the raiders - hungry”(the riff 0:55)
10. Been a son - “zebra don’t walk away”
11. Very ape - “Kanishka”
12. Milk it - “melvins it’s shoved”
13. Scentless Apprentice “the cult in the clouds”
14. Big long now - “sister europe”
15. Mr. butter worth - “devo too much paranoias “
16. Endless nameless - “butthole surfers u.s.s.a
17. Spank thru - El Clavo
Primus sucks
this 2:15 solo fits the song so well, these guys knew you didn't have to write fancy solos to brighten the song
simplicity is the sister of talent
gaspanda
Green River really did some fantastic songs. You should try blasting this out of your car stereo!
alvaro vergara
Esta banda merecía mas atención de la que recibió unos grandes crearon todo un movimiento y no lo sabian
ॐPromethean Ash-Shakur; Pratyekabuddhic tetragrammaton of Metatronic Ascension (-_-*)
This band is too fuckin’ dope!
b
This ain't no social call
I don't come for fun at all
This ain't no social call
Bet you're wantin' fun
What you see is what you get
I ain't seen nothing I want yet
This is stronger than the day I die
This is stronger than the day I die
Some things are better left unsaid
Some things are better left unthought
Some things are better left for dead
Some things are better left (burning)
What you get is what you see
Look out, I don't aim to please
Forever means nothing to me right now
Forever means nothing to me right now
This ain't no social call
I ain't here for your fun at all
This ain't no social call
Too bad you were expecting fun
Jefferson Araujo el políglota
Thank you.
Erik
Que chimba!!!
Brian
Bad ass song
Carlos Alberto
Green River rocks ! I from Brazil.
Dee
Fuck yeah Brazil!