Slaid Cleaves’ music is marked by both the quirky blend of isolated eccentricity and steely resilience of his Yankee upbringing and the weathered soul of Texas, the state he has called home for over a decade now. First registering on the national folk scene by winning the Kerrville Folk Festival’s New Folk competition in 1992, Cleaves released his national debut No Angel Knows (Philo/Rounder) in 1997, following a string of self-released albums and many nights logged in folk clubs as both a performer and a soundman. Met with effusive critical praise, No Angel Knows was followed by Broke Down (Philo/Rounder) in 2000, which expanded his audience exponentially by virtue of its exceedingly well-crafted songs and rugged Gurf Morlix production. In addition to the title track, a Rod Picott collaboration that won Song of the Year at the Austin Music Awards in 2001, Broke Down featured a couple of interpretations of other writers’ songs prefiguring Slaid’s later work, including a poignant reading of fellow Austinite Karen Poston’s “Lydia.”
Following Broke Down came 2004’s Wishbones (Philo/Rounder), a richly detailed exploration of life’s darker corners where still a ray of hope somehow shines. Wishbones climbed to the top of the Americana Radio chart coming in at #1 for 2004 while Slaid toured relentlessly promoting the album. It was after the recording of Wishbones that Cleaves began to consider the endeavor that became Unsung. “Over the years,” Cleaves explains, “as I grew as a songwriter, my songs began to make up the bulk of my sets. But I continued to throw in the odd song by a hero or friend, both in my shows and on the records I made. I did that partly out of tribute to my influences, but also to give my set, or album, some context and some variety.” These are songs from the songwriter trenches – compositions Cleaves first heard at late-night song-swaps, open-mic nights, during downtime at recording sessions, and on modest self-released CDs. Thanks to the work of producers David Henry and Rod Picott (a long-time Cleaves cohort and fellow Mainer), the performances and backdrops on Unsung are as evocative and captivating as the songs themselves. Cleaves’ gifts as an interpreter are such that the line between singer and song vanish completely.
"Cleaves tells gorgeously compact stories in a voice packed with Texas trail dust." -- Entertainment Weekly
"...one of the finest singer-songwriters in Texas." -- Neil Strauss, The New York Times
Green Mountains And Me
Slaid Cleaves Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But under the same cold stars
And tonight I'll dream you right back home
To this little life of ours
We'll walk hand in hand through fields of green
Just like we did last year
But it's so hard to wake up every day
And watch as your dreams disappear
He looks more like you every day
Won't you come back, come back my darlin'
Each night I pray on bended knee
Won't you come back to the Green Mountains and me
I see a car winding up the driveway
Up to your parents' place
The old man looks up from his raking
As the color drains from your mama's face
Cryin' softly by the window now
While your daddy shakes the soldiers hands
Their taillights disappear into the woods below
He's frozen in the doorway where he stands
In the twilight, in the silent snow
I hear you singing in my ear
Won't you come back . . .
The seasons come and the seasons go
We live from day to day
And I lose a little bit of myself
With each tear I wipe away
People on the street used to stop and chat
Now they look down and walk on by
Won't you come back . . .
The song "Green Mountains And Me" by Slaid Cleaves is a poignant reflection on the pain and longing felt by a wife whose husband is away serving in the military. The song's opening lines capture the sense of distance and isolation that the wife feels: "You're on the other side of the world tonight / But under the same cold stars." Despite being separated by vast distances, she finds solace in the knowledge that they are both looking up at the night sky, connected by the celestial bodies above them.
The wife's yearning for her husband is painted vividly throughout the song. She dreams of walking hand in hand with him through fields of green "just like we did last year." But every day she wakes up to the reality of his absence, watching "as your dreams disappear." The lyrics capture how difficult it is to maintain hope and a sense of purpose when someone you love is so far away.
The second half of the song takes a darker turn as news arrives that the husband has been killed in action. Cleaves captures the brutal reality of this moment through simple but powerful imagery: "The old man looks up from his raking / As the color drains from your mama's face / Cryin' softly by the window now / While your daddy shakes the soldiers hands." The heartbreak that the wife experiences is palpable in every line, as she longs for her husband to return to her: "Won't you come back, come back my darlin' / Each night I pray on bended knee / Won't you come back to the Green Mountains and me."
Overall, "Green Mountains And Me" is a testament to the power of music to capture universal emotions and experiences. The song speaks to anyone who has ever been separated from someone they love, particularly if that separation is due to war or military service. Through its vivid imagery and emotional resonance, the song reminds us of the sacrifices made by those who serve their country, and the toll that such service takes on the families left behind.
Line by Line Meaning
You're on the other side of the world tonight
You are away in a distant place tonight
But under the same cold stars
We are watching the same stars in the sky
And tonight I'll dream you right back home
I'll dream of you and bring you back home tonight
To this little life of ours
To our simple and modest life together
We'll walk hand in hand through fields of green
We'll stroll cheerfully through lush fields together
Just like we did last year
As we did in the past
But it's so hard to wake up every day
However, waking up every day is difficult
And watch as your dreams disappear
As I see your aspirations vanish
It's quiet here, your little boy's asleep
It's peaceful, our child is sound asleep
He looks more like you every day
As days go by, he resembles you more
Won't you come back, come back my darlin'
Please, my beloved, return to me
Each night I pray on bended knee
I pray every night from my knees
Won't you come back to the Green Mountains and me
Please come back to our cozy life in the mountains
I see a car winding up the driveway
I observe a vehicle approaching on the way
Up to your parents' place
Going towards the home of your parents
The old man looks up from his raking
The elderly man looks up while raking
As the color drains from your mama's face
As your mother's facial expression fades
Cryin' softly by the window now
Crying silently by the window at present
While your daddy shakes the soldiers hands
When your father greets the soldiers
Their taillights disappear into the woods below
The vehicle's rear lights vanish amidst the trees
He's frozen in the doorway where he stands
He's standing motionless in the doorway
In the twilight, in the silent snow
In the dim light and the hushed snowfall
I hear you singing in my ear
I hear your voice close to my ear
The seasons come and the seasons go
The seasons arrive and leave in succession
We live from day to day
We exist from one day to the other
And I lose a little bit of myself
And every tear makes me lose a part of myself
With each tear I wipe away
As I wipe every drop of tears
People on the street used to stop and chat
Neighbors used to stop and talk to us
Now they look down and walk on by
Now they ignore us and walk past us
Won't you come back . . .
Please return to me
Contributed by Maya T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.