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Your Move"
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Green Light Blues
words and music by Paige Powell ©2007 Paige E. Powell
1. We’re in line at the traffic light
Each car waitin’ to go
Now it’s finally turned red to green
So why’re we movin’ so slow?
Oh, why won’t people go when the light is green?
2. It doesn’t get any greener
So why isn’t that guy in gear?
We’re yellin,’ screamin’ and shoutin’ now
Even though he can’t hear
Oh, why won’t people go when the light is green?
3. Car number one waits to see
That no one runs the red light (hey, that’s ok)
Car number two needs to move
And car three isn’t in sight!
Chorus: Oh, why won’t people go when the light is green?
Why won’t people go when the light is green?
The rest of us behind them
You know what I mean
Why won’t people go when the light is green?
Bridge: The intersection is big and wide
And we all wanna get through
Big truck, he’s laggin’behind
“Hey! We’re here behind you!”
(Hey, big truck! Oh, you got a load of bricks, I see)
4. Some of us at the end back here
Pray the green light will stay
We’re all in the same hurry
But they act like they’ve got all day!
Hey, why won’t people go when the light is green?
5. You didn’t know your car’s radio
Could be reading your mind
And if it could see you speak
It’d see you sayin’this line:
(Repeat Chorus 2x)
From the July 27, 2021 Blog:
The Story Behind the Song,
"Green Light Blues (Why Won't People Go When the Light Is Green?":
A couple of weeks ago, my cousin's daughter plowed into a truck stopped in front of her, having her first automobile accident. It was because she saw that the light had turned green, and just pushed on the accelerator, not noticing that the truck in front of her was still stopped. She was so upset and crying so hard that the lady driving the truck comforted her, saying, it's alright, nobody was hurt ... Of course, I had to tell my cousin that his daughter now has a theme song, "Green Light Blues (Why Won't People Go When the Light Is Green?)"!
So, what's the story behind this song? As a member of the Songwriters' Association of Washington (SAW.org), I signed up for a workshop about how to write a Blues song. I learned that it is the best song format for complaining about life, being angry or sad, or writing about a tragedy. One day, I was experimenting with some guitar licks in a Bb tuning, and it sounded bluesy, so I hunted in my songwriting notebook for the right lyrics and came across "Why won't people go when the light is green?" and other complaints about traffic. In the second verse, people laugh at the line "It doesn't get any greener!". For the final verse, I thought, "Wouldn't it be cool if this song were playing on someone's car radio while they were stuck behind a car that wasn't moving at a green light?!" I would be singing about the exact situation, as if reading their mind!
A fan emailed me that after hearing my CD, "Time's Up—Your Move" the song, "Green Light Blues" — "was such a great legitimizing of what we all notice with some irritation. Putting it into a song "legitimizes" the feeling, in my opinion." Her comment really goes with my new branding motto: "Telling the Truth in Love (and sometimes humor)".
So, dear reader, do YOU have a story that goes with one of your favorite songs? Let me know. Also, please tell me — how do you listen to music? Radio? Spotify? Someone recently told me that people no longer download songs. Is that true?
Thank you so much for being there!
Singer/Songwriter Paige Powell
