My senior year English teacher, Mr. Harris, sometimes used the songs we were listening to to teach principles of poetry, and this song--"Leaves That Are Green" from Simon and Garfunkel's 1966 album Sounds of Silence--is one of the songs we dissected as a class. I still remember how we learned about alliteration through its use in this song: "And they whither with the wind..."
It's a trick I've been sensitive to and incorporated into my writing ever since. Alliteration makes phrases stick in the mind, as the repetition of sounds creates a mnemonic effect. It also creates a natural cadence that mimics the rhythms of speech and music, making text more engaging and pleasurable to readers and listeners
(Writer's Tip: When writing, read aloud what you have written and become sensitive to how it flows and sounds.)
"Leaves That Are Green" is a delicate meditation on time, love, and transience. Written by Paul Simon, this simple folk gem captures the fleeting nature of youth and the inevitability of change. And it cuts deep.
The song’s imagery is vivid yet understated, painting life’s seasons through the metaphor of leaves shifting from vibrant green to brittle brown. Simon’s lyrics trace a young man’s journey—falling in love at twenty-one, dreaming under open skies, only to watch those dreams scatter like autumn leaves. The refrain, “And the leaves that are green turn to brown,” is both a lament and an acceptance of life’s impermanence.
The song's brevity might tempt one to downplay its power. Clocking in at two-and-a-half minutes, it’s a fleeting moment itself, mirroring the beauty it describes.
Musically, the track is sparse but evocative, with gentle acoustic strumming and Simon’s introspective vocals carrying the weight of the story. As in all the music they performed together, Art Garfunkel’s harmonies add a layer of emotional depth.
What makes "Leaves That Are Green" resonate nearly six decades later is its universal truth: everything changes, and nothing lasts forever. Yet, in its melancholy, there’s a quiet hope—a reminder to cherish the green moments while they last, something I've repeated many times over the course of a lifetime.
For fans of Simon & Garfunkel, this song is a small but sparkling thread in their catalog, inviting us to pause and reflect on our own seasons of change.
Related
Paul Simon's American Tune Is Actually A German Tune
Tribute to Mr. Harris
In 1999 Paul Simon and Bob Dylan performed together here in Duluth
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