Little Green by Joni Mitchell
Little Green by Joni Mitchell
Tabbed: August 1996
| This song was transcribed beautifully by Tino Meinen. I
changed a chord (I added the fourth string on the Gmaj7 chord; it fills it out a
little better), a few chord names and added the D7. I also placed all the chords because
Tino's version is different. It includes a very nice picking pattern, and if you want it,
I'll e-mail it to you. I don't know how to read picking patterns, but if you do, you're
welcome to it. This is a more simplified version, but 95% of the work is all Tino's, so a
big thanks to Tino! :) Make sure you play the fifth string on the Gmaj7—VERY important. It gives the whole chord it's beautiful lushness and it pales in comparison without it. Per Tino, the 6th string is only played at the very end of the song in the last chord. I have found this is very typical of Joni's songs, especially her early ones. Begin ritarding by the last G2sus4 and pause slightly before playing the final G, then play it very softly, making sure each note is played. Tino says it gives it an air of "relaxation," but I don't know if I ever feel "relaxed" after playing this song. This is one of Joni's songs (Marcie is another) that I find I have to fight the tears. It's very sad and painful. (see my note below) |
Transcribed by: Tino Meinen tino@astro.uva.nl
Tuning: D G D G B D Open G Tuning (Capo 4th Fret)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |||
| D | G | D | G | B | D | D | G | D | G | B | D | |||
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |||
| Gmaj7 | X | 0 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | G | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Gmaj7-2 | X | 4 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | G7sus2 | X | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | |
| Am11 | X | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | C | X | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | |
| G2sus4 | X | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Bb | X | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | |
| D7 | X | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
Intro:
Gmaj7 Gmaj7-2
Am11 G-G2sus4 G
Gmaj7 Gmaj7-2 Am11 G-G2sus4
G
Born with the moon in cancer
Gmaj7 Gmaj7-2 Am11
G-G2sus4 G7sus2
Choose her a name she will answer to
Am11
Call her Green, and the winters cannot fade her
Gmaj7-2 C
Call her Green for the children who've made her
Gmaj7 Gmaj7-2 Am11 G-G2sus4-G
Little Green, be a gypsy dancer.
He went to California
Hearing that everything's warmer there
So you write him a letter and say 'her eyes are blue'
He sends you a poem and she's lost to you
Little green, he's a non-conformer.
C
Bb
G
G2sus4-G
Just a little green like the color when the spring is born
Gmaj7-2 Am11
G-G2sus4-G (stop!)
There'll be crocuses to bring to school tomorrow
C
Bb
G G2sus4-G
Just a little green like the nights when the northern lights perform
Gmaj7-2
Am11
Gmaj7-2 Am11 G-G2sus4-G
There'll be icicles and birthday clothes, and sometimes there'll be sorrow
Child with a child pretending
Weary of lies you're sending home
So you sign all the papers in the family name
You're sad and you're sorry but you're not ashamed
Little Green have a happy ending
Just a little green like the color when the spring is born
There'll be crocuses to bring to school tomorrow
Just a little green like the nights when the northern lights perform
Gmaj7-2
Am11
There'll be icicles and birthday clothes
Gmaj7-2 Am11
D7 G-G2sus4-G
And sometimes there'll be sor—————row.
(ritard)
G-G2sus4-G G-G2sus4-G G2sus4
G (let ring)
| I have recently learned the true meaning of this song. It seems that it is about the daughter that she had to give up for adoption. She had named her Kelly ... "Little Green." The second verse is about her baby's father, her ex-boyfriend and fellow art student. Moving from Toronto to California, she wrote to tell him about the baby, but all he did was send her back a poem. The third verse is about Joni, herself, being only a child at the time (19 years old), afraid to tell her parents about her, and having to sign the adoption papers after she had kept the child for a few months. Wow. Now that we know the true meaning, how much sadder could this song have gotten? If you want more info (and a picture) go to this link: Mother & Child Reunion. |