I was twenty-one years
When I wrote this song
I’m twenty-two now
But I won’t be for long
Time hurries on
And the leaves that are green turn to brown
And they whither with the wind
And they crumble in your hand

Once my heart was filled
With love of a girl
I held her close
But she faded in the night
Like a poem I meant to write
And the leaves that are green turn to brown
And they whither with the wind
And they crumble in your hand

I threw a pebble
In a brook
And watched the ripples
Run away
And they never made a sound
And the leaves that are green turn to brown
And they whither with the wind
And they crumble in your hand

Hello, hello
Hello, hello
Goodbye, goodbye
Goodbye, goodbye
That’s all there is
And the leaves that are green turn to brown