---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I wrote 'Green, Green,' it was like…"
description: "\"When I wrote 'Green, Green,' it was like a really a statement of where I was at philosophically in my life.\" — Barry McGuire"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cf/barry-mcguire-23832_green_when-i-wrote-green-green-it-was-like-a-r_400465.jpg"
---

#  When I wrote 'Green, Green,' it was like a really a…

![“When I wrote 'Green, Green,' it was like a really a statement of where I was at philosophically in my life.” quote by Barry McGuire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cf/barry-mcguire-23832_green_when-i-wrote-green-green-it-was-like-a-r_400465.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cf/barry-mcguire-23832_green_when-i-wrote-green-green-it-was-like-a-r_400465.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cf/barry-mcguire-23832_green_when-i-wrote-green-green-it-was-like-a-r_400465.jpg)

> “When I wrote 'Green, Green,' it was like a really a statement of where I was at philosophically in my life.”

[Barry McGuire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-mcguire/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The song reflects his personal philosophical stance at that time, expressing his inner thoughts through music.

**In simple terms:** He used the song to convey his philosophy.

Key Takeaway

Use creative expression to explore personal beliefs.

Themes

self‑expression philosophy music identity growth

Mood

introspective nostalgic

Type

ly inspirational

When to use this quote

- songwriting
- interview
- personal journal
- public speaking

Key Concepts

artistic authenticity self‑reflection

Questions to Reflect On

- What core belief did the song reveal?
- How might your philosophy change over time?

A Different Perspective

Artistic statements may be misinterpreted; personal philosophy can evolve.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/green/) [Green Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/green-like-3129987/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Really Statement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/really-statement-2556477/) [Statement Philosophically](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/statement-philosophically-3591345/) [Wrote Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrote-green-3379763/)

## Related quotes

> [Being the director is really something. It's a statement of something and you have to stand up for that. Okay, this is what I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mathieu-demy/being-the-director-is-really-something-it-s-a-statement-of-something/)

[Mathieu Demy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mathieu-demy/)

> [My hair - that's, like, really my statement piece.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-halpern/my-hair-that-s-like-really-my-statement-piece/)

[Tucker Halpern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-halpern/)

> [You don't think it was because a white man wrote it, a black man wrote it, a green man wrote it. What-doesn't make a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cab-calloway/you-don-t-think-it-was-because-a-white-man-wrote-it-a-black-man-wrote/)

[Cab Calloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cab-calloway/)

> [You don't think it was because a white man wrote it, a black man wrote it, a green man wrote it. What - doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cab-calloway/you-don-t-think-it-was-because-a-white-man-wrote-it-a-black-man-wrote-2/)

[Cab Calloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cab-calloway/)

> [“It was my mother who bought me green ink for the first time, along with the fountain pen she gave me as a gift…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-was-my-mother-who-bought-me-green-ink-for-the-first-time-along/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I wrote The Green Eye of the Little Yellow God in five hours, but I had it all planned out. It isn't poetry and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-milton-hayes/i-wrote-the-green-eye-of-the-little-yellow-god-in-five-hours-but-i/)

[J. Milton Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-milton-hayes/)

> [I’m on top of my green like a lawn chair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-wayne/i-m-on-top-of-my-green-like-a-lawn-chair/)

[Lil Wayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-wayne/)

> [And I be on my green like Irish Spring and Coast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lupe-fiasco/and-i-be-on-my-green-like-irish-spring-and-coast/)

[Lupe Fiasco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lupe-fiasco/)

> [“She turned back to inspect a bank of greens: olive, jade, leaf, kiwi, lime, a silver-green like the back of birch leaves, a bright…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bartlett/she-turned-back-to-inspect-a-bank-of-greens-olive-jade-leaf-kiwi-lime/)

[Anne Bartlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bartlett/)

> [I didnt have green like an Arizona front lawn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/childish-gambino/i-didnt-have-green-like-an-arizona-front-lawn/)

[Childish Gambino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/childish-gambino/)

> [Sometimes from this hillside just after sunset The rim of the sky takes on a tinge Of the palest green, like the flesh of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hass/sometimes-from-this-hillside-just-after-sunset-the-rim-of-the-sky/)

[Robert Hass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hass/)

> [I stay on top of my green like a lawn chair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-stay-on-top-of-my-green-like-a-lawn-chair/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Suddenly a mist of green on the trees, as quiet as thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-richardson/suddenly-a-mist-of-green-on-the-trees-as-quiet-as-thought/)

[Dorothy Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-richardson/)

> [If you're white and you're wrong, then you're wrong; if you're black and you're wrong, you're wrong. People are people. Black, blue, pink, green…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-marley/if-you-re-white-and-you-re-wrong-then-you-re-wrong-if-you-re-black/)

[Bob Marley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-marley/)

> [The very purpose for being in this body, for every one of us, is to live and rejoice in that virgin area, that untouched,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/the-very-purpose-for-being-in-this-body-for-every-one-of-us-is-to/)

[Sri Sri Ravi Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/)

## More by Barry McGuire

> [That's why I had to leave Hair on Broadway, because I did it for about a year, and one night I was doing the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-mcguire/that-s-why-i-had-to-leave-hair-on-broadway-because-i-did-it-for-about/)

[Barry McGuire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-mcguire/)

> [I was very laced with drugs myself, but Fred seemed to be even more so than me. That might have had something to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-mcguire/i-was-very-laced-with-drugs-myself-but-fred-seemed-to-be-even-more-so/)

[Barry McGuire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-mcguire/)

> [I know great songwriters. Fred Neil would come up when he was in L.A., we all used to hang out. He would sit there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-mcguire/i-know-great-songwriters-fred-neil-would-come-up-when-he-was-in-l-a/)

[Barry McGuire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-mcguire/)

> [Marches alone won't bring integration when human respect is disintegratin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-mcguire/marches-alone-won-t-bring-integration-when-human-respect-is/)

[Barry McGuire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-mcguire/)

> [And a friend of mine in the Christys, we used to sit up at night and talk and read and wonder if reincarnation, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-mcguire/and-a-friend-of-mine-in-the-christys-we-used-to-sit-up-at-night-and/)

[Barry McGuire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-mcguire/)

> [And there was a real shedding of the old dogma, like boundaries of morality were being broken down and everybody was into the new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-mcguire/and-there-was-a-real-shedding-of-the-old-dogma-like-boundaries-of/)

[Barry McGuire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-mcguire/)

> [You know, the music business is like the Lotto. Just put your numbers down and sometimes they hit, and sometimes they don't. There's just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-mcguire/you-know-the-music-business-is-like-the-lotto-just-put-your-numbers/)

[Barry McGuire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-mcguire/)

> [So he was opening night... I was out of a job, and I'd been to every producer in Hollywood trying to get a job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-mcguire/so-he-was-opening-night-i-was-out-of-a-job-and-i-d-been-to-every/)

[Barry McGuire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-mcguire/)

> [You tell me over and over and over again, my friend, you don't believe we're on the eve of destruction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-mcguire/you-tell-me-over-and-over-and-over-again-my-friend-you-don-t-believe/)

[Barry McGuire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-mcguire/)

> [My buddies worked with me for weeks, and I went up to take my test, and started crying because I couldn't remember the words.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-mcguire/my-buddies-worked-with-me-for-weeks-and-i-went-up-to-take-my-test-and/)

[Barry McGuire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-mcguire/)

> [Hate your next-door neighbor, but don't forget to say grace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-mcguire/hate-your-next-door-neighbor-but-don-t-forget-to-say-grace/)

[Barry McGuire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-mcguire/)

> [You may leave here for four days in space, but when you return it's the same old place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-mcguire/you-may-leave-here-for-four-days-in-space-but-when-you-return-it-s/)

[Barry McGuire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-mcguire/)

> [To have a songwriter that wrote so specifically what I felt to be true... I've never been much of an actor either. If something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-mcguire/to-have-a-songwriter-that-wrote-so-specifically-what-i-felt-to-be/)

[Barry McGuire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-mcguire/)

> [I remember we woke up one morning at Denny's house and John Phillips called. He said, you guys okay? We said, yeah, what's wrong,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-mcguire/i-remember-we-woke-up-one-morning-at-denny-s-house-and-john-phillips/)

[Barry McGuire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-mcguire/)

> [I did about a 100 concerts this year. All over the United States. We're cutting back next year to about 40. We generate money…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-mcguire/i-did-about-a-100-concerts-this-year-all-over-the-united-states-we-re/)

[Barry McGuire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-mcguire/)

[Explore all 25 Barry McGuire quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-mcguire/)

## More Green quotes

> [The very purpose for being in this body, for every one of us, is to live and rejoice in that virgin area, that untouched,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/the-very-purpose-for-being-in-this-body-for-every-one-of-us-is-to/)

[Sri Sri Ravi Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/)

> [If you're white and you're wrong, then you're wrong; if you're black and you're wrong, you're wrong. People are people. Black, blue, pink, green…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-marley/if-you-re-white-and-you-re-wrong-then-you-re-wrong-if-you-re-black/)

[Bob Marley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-marley/)

> [Suddenly a mist of green on the trees, as quiet as thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-richardson/suddenly-a-mist-of-green-on-the-trees-as-quiet-as-thought/)

[Dorothy Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-richardson/)

> [“Yes, when I get big and have my own home, no plush chairs and lace curtains for me. And no rubber plants. I'll have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-smith/yes-when-i-get-big-and-have-my-own-home-no-plush-chairs-and-lace/)

[Betty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-smith/)

> [The sun, a red wheel, was sinking slowly in the west. Besides being spectacularly beautiful, the early-summer sunset was exceedingly soft and gentle: black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mo-yan/the-sun-a-red-wheel-was-sinking-slowly-in-the-west-besides-being/)

[Mo Yan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mo-yan/)

> [The Louvre! The Louvre has me in its clutches. Every time I'm there rich blessings rain down upon me. I am coming to understand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-modersohn-becker/the-louvre-the-louvre-has-me-in-its-clutches-every-time-i-m-there/)

[Paula Modersohn-Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-modersohn-becker/)

> [Meanwhile, the trees were just as green as before; the birds sang and the sun shone as clearly now as ever. The familiar surroundings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/meanwhile-the-trees-were-just-as-green-as-before-the-birds-sang-and/)

[Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/)

> [“It is unnatural to fear something natural.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/it-is-unnatural-to-fear-something-natural/)

[Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/)

> [Keep the corners of your mouth turned up. Speak in a low, persuasive tone. Listen; be teachable. Laugh at good stories and learn to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-teresa/keep-the-corners-of-your-mouth-turned-up-speak-in-a-low-persuasive/)

[Mother Teresa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mother-teresa/)

> [We began as mineral. We emerged into plant life, and into the animal state, and then into being human, and always we have forgotten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/we-began-as-mineral-we-emerged-into-plant-life-and-into-the-animal/)

[Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/)

> [The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david/the-lord-is-my-shepherd-i-shall-not-want-he-maketh-me-to-lie-down-in/)

[David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david/)

> [I'm homosexual. How and why are idle questions. It's a little like wanting to know why my eyes are green.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-genet/i-m-homosexual-how-and-why-are-idle-questions-it-s-a-little-like/)

[Jean Genet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-genet/)

> [Summer explodes into Portland. In early June the heat was there but not the color--the green were still pale and tentative, the morning had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/summer-explodes-into-portland-in-early-june-the-heat-was-there-but/)

[Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/)

> [The vast majority of local people will neither know all of the initiatives nor have any perception that the individual elements are beginning to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-burrell/the-vast-majority-of-local-people-will-neither-know-all-of-the/)

[Paul Burrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-burrell/)

> [America should be leading the world in green and clean solutions, and human rights. We shouldn't be leading the world in wars and incarceration…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/america-should-be-leading-the-world-in-green-and-clean-solutions-and/)

[Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/)

[Browse all 3,556 Green quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/green/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "When I wrote 'Green, Green,' it was like a really a statement of where I was at philosophically in my life.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Barry McGuire"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-mcguire/when-i-wrote-green-green-it-was-like-a-really-a-statement-of-where-i/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Green"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-mcguire/when-i-wrote-green-green-it-was-like-a-really-a-statement-of-where-i/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cf/barry-mcguire-23832_green_when-i-wrote-green-green-it-was-like-a-r_400465.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cf/barry-mcguire-23832_green_when-i-wrote-green-green-it-was-like-a-r_400465.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cf/barry-mcguire-23832_green_when-i-wrote-green-green-it-was-like-a-r_400465.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“When I wrote 'Green, Green,' it was like a really a statement of where I was at philosophically in my life.” — Barry McGuire",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Barry McGuire",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-mcguire/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "When I wrote 'Green, Green,' it...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-mcguire/when-i-wrote-green-green-it-was-like-a-really-a-statement-of-where-i/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-mcguire/when-i-wrote-green-green-it-was-like-a-really-a-statement-of-where-i/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
