Right-Click to Save    Tom Jones had a worldwide hit with this in 1966, although it was first recorded by Porter Wagoner the year before.  It’s about a man who returns to his childhood home after many years.  As he steps down from the train, his parents are there to greet him and his beloved Mary comes running to join them.  With Mary, he strolls at ease among the remnants of his childhood, including “the old oak tree that I used to play on”.  And he pontificates that “it’s good to touch the green, green grass of home”.  Sounds wonderful, doesn’t it?  However, the music and words are hinting that something isn’t quite right here.

The third verse switches abruptly to speech rather than singing – “Then I awake and look around me, at four grey walls that surround me”.  He realizes he was only dreaming and, in fact, he’s on death row in a prison.  He’s awakened on the day of his execution – “There’s a guard, and there’s a sad old padre, arm in arm, we’ll walk at daybreak”, and now we know he’s returning home to be buried ‘neath that old oak tree.  Very sad, and cleverly written.

Whenever we do this song, it brings a lump to my throat and I can barely sing it.  It was a favorite of my brother, who passed away many years ago.  Steve… this one is always for you.  I miss him.