My favorite Sarah Vaughan song — of a great many — is “The Green Leaves of Summer,” which is on YouTube at

 

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I absolutely love the singing and the voice of famous jazz singer Sarah Vaughan (1924-1990).

Some find her songs to be treacly. There seems to be something to this criticism — as it applies to some, but by no means all, of her songs — but I love her nonetheless.

It is my nonprofessional opinion that her deep, rich voice cannot be equaled.

Regarding the lyrics of the song, below, I have interpolated my own comments on what they mean. Many readers of this post will say, does he think I can’t read? I don’t need to have the lyrics interpreted for me.

I have interpolated comments nevertheless — for the sale of the many foreign readers of this post who may not be familiar with English jargon.

By the way, I think that the “The Green Leaves of Summer” is a great song.

 

— Roger W. Smith

   February 2018

 

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Addendum: To see how a group can mess up a great, sentimental song such as this one, listen to the version by The Springfields (at the same YouTube link). This version is treacly, and the arrangement stinks.

 

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The Green Leaves of Summer

Woo, woo,
A time to be reaping [reap: to harvest crops]
A time to be sowing [sow: to plant crops]
The green leaves of summer [tree leaves; green in summer; change color in fall, fall off trees in winter]

Are calling me home
Twas so good to be young then [“Twas”: it was]
In the season of plenty [season of plenty; things were growing in abundance; the earth was fertile, like a woman]
When the catfish were jumping [catfish: fresh water fish; jumping — the fish are so plentiful they jump out of the water; times are good]

As high as the sky [the fish jump as high as the sky]
A time just for planting [time for planting seeds]
A time just for ploughing [a tractor plows the earth to make it ready for planting]
A time to be courting [it’s also the time for “courting,” finding a mate, love; everything is pregnant, ripe]

A girl of your own
Twas so good to be young then [it was good to be young and full of energy and spirits at that time]
To be close to the earth [good to be in close to the earth; one feels it in summertime, and when one is young, one’s body feels full of vigor]
And to stand by your wife [to bond and to have a love object]

At the moment of birth, woo [the earth is producing food; the wife is giving birth]
A time to be reaping [reap: harvest]
A time to be sowing [sow: plant, not only seeds to grow in earth, but also make babies]
A time just for living [the joy of just plain being ALIVE]

A place for to die [the lyrics are the words of someone at end of life recalling the summer days of his young manhood]
Twas so good to be young then
To be close to the earth
Now the green leaves of summer
Are calling me home [“home,” meaning to return to the earth and be buried]

Twas so good to be young then
To be close to the earth
Now the green leaves of summer
Are calling me home