Electric Light Orchestra - Poor Boy (The Greenwood) Lyrics

Try playing this driving at night :-)

Always loved ELO but only knew the 30 odd songs of the best of album. I'm listening to this Eldorado album with shivers down my spine.

Those thieving dukes and abbots!

Candy for your ears, the whole album, notice I said album, I'm old lol

I think it's just a coincidence, but the melodic line is identical to Springsteen's No Surrender

Try putting that the other way round....Poor Boy written at least 10 years earlier .

The chords in this song give me goosebumps. Jeff Lynne and ELO FOREVER!!!!

ELO played the sweeping ending of The Greenwood tonight in Toronto Canada and went right into Can't get it out if my head .... the entire show was epic and I've seen them a few times over the decades

my favorite ELO song

Maybe the best song on their best album.

You can hear a bit of Bob Dylan on this track!

THIS SHOULD BE THE BREXIT ANTHEM !!!

One of the best tunes on a great album.

Best band in history of bands

Lelle isnt life strange

pooh boy

superb!

Jeff Lynn IS the Traveling Wilburys...no doubt about it!

BRILLIANT!

Why wasn't this a single? Extraordinary.

Ésta música es preciosa.

Man this is Music. Truly a hidden gem.

In concerts Kelly Groucutt would do the vocals for this song. I know this was before his time, but it doesn't quite sound like Jeff either - was there another vocalist?

I'd love to think it was all Jeff, but I used to think "Face the Music's" Down Home Town was Jeff, and it was KG.

Jeff was lead on Poorboy and Down Home Town. Kelly sang Poorboy live once in a while and sang a little on Down Home.

Shit I heard Sir Paul McCartney talking about Jeff Lynne saying ELO did what the Beatles were doing...no Paul these were the actual muscians in the band...2 Cellos...no waiting

Great song!  Particularly love in the chorus where the chords keep rising.  Thrilling and beautiful!

did Springsteen borrow this for No Surrender?

Not sure, but it sounds like Jeff borrowed from Dylan's "My Back Pages" for this.

@Chief Kurtz Not hearing that.

Me I'm just a poor boy, from across the far southland,
And I've traveled many days to reach this place to mke my stand,
I fell in with a merry band, and drank away the hours.

[CHORUS]
Rollin' on, I've been rollin' on,
And my head is high, from the battle won,
Laid down my life for the Greenwood

The city boys, and the country boys, they come from miles around,
To defy their king and country, save the poor folks from the hand,
Of the thieving dukes and abbotts, and the gentry of the land.

[CHORUS]
Rollin' on, I've been rollin' on,
And my head is high, from the battle won,
Laid down my life for the Greenwood

Sweet Maid marion, don't you do me no wrong,
Stay on the right side, the Greenwood is your home,,
The dancing girls and the open fires, the wine that flows like water.

[CHORUS]
Rollin' on, I've been rollin' on,
And my head is high, from the battle won,
Laid down my life for the Greenwood

"El Dorado" is an appetizer of what lay ahead.

amo esta cancion !!!

I like it so much I named myself after it!

So good!!

Bon dieu, j'avais oublié comment c'est bon.

i was a little kid and i didn't know that singles had B sides.. i used to play telephone line.. then i accidently played this by mistake and was blown away. tho i still don't know what it's about...

The album is The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty, the song is a Robin Hood daydream.

my first album with my first wage was a New World Record and haven't look back since. love ELO.

Yes! My first album with my first wage was Face the Music. I, likewise, have never looked back since.

Jeff Lynne, músico sorprendente, brillante, modesto, amable, destellante, genial, apoteósico, delirante, luminoso, sobresaliente, magnífico, espléndido, deslumbrante, resplandeciente, reluciente, admirable, descollante.......................................

Máster magic music JL genius

FUCK...they are the best!!!

Stirring stuff, Jeff and the boys at their finest - roll on

Me I'm just a poo' boy from across the far south land.

Rolling on I've been rolling on and my heed is high from the battle won.

Those vocals sound just like Ian Hunter, & the lyrics do too. I know it's not, just sayin.'

noone else makes music like this. JL is truly a genius!

that's a fact

Kelly Groucutt is the vocals on this. Bev and the rest were outstanding. This is the most inspirational song they ever wrote

ELO , AMAZING. JEFF LYNNE, GENIUS. NUFF SAID.

Masterpiece... simply: masterpiece! Only Lynne can do  this kind of music ♥ ♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫

Sí habla de una rebelión del pueblo The greenwood de la burguesía opresora, no estoy seguro si es del mismo pueblo de Robin hood, pero te recuerda a las viejas revoluciones y luchas por independencias de países del mundo. A mi me recuerda a la guerra de independencia de mi México querido. Es una canción muy pueblerina y de lucha por nuestro país, derechos y libertad, que aunque esté ambientada clásicamente puede aplicar hoy en día ya que siempre se tiene la oportunidad de rebelarnos contra malos gobiernos.

What a magical band!

Magical is spot on 👍😊

Sweet maid Marion....

¡Buenisimo!

great song...elo is the best of ever... hope to see Jeff alive yet.
i agree wiht Krzystof... at 1:38, the best part!!!

Festival in a Day, Hyde Park, Sun 14th September 2014 - a lucky few of us will :)

Would be something if Mr Lynne and Mr Bevan could patch the differences and front the real ELO one more time tho....

George Harrison influence ? ..

Not many ELO i don't like

In the four years since I was shown ELO, I hated Roll Over Beethoven until about two months ago. Skipped it every time, but eventually learned to like it.

+Joel Rayburn roll over I hate same with don't bring me down ruins me just there listening Discovery then Wishing to Don't bring me down scars me

I suppose you could say its just a bad cover version

Me too!!

Darticus the Great I brought ELOs beethoven on LP to school in 4th grade. Teacher loved it, kids hated it... then that situation reversed when the rock began and the kids went crazy and caused a disruption to music class.

Classic

I hold my head high being a super ELO fan!

omgggg my last name is greenwood :)))

We love ELO in México.

All of you?

Yes, that part is chilling. It's a pity they don't repeat it afterwards.

I am 50 and ELO was my first concert. I listen to Eldorado to take me to that awesome point in time.....

aside from great music and lyrics, he has a terrific voice! HIGHLY underrated.

I am clueless why more songs from this album were not played more on the radio. Just very wrong.

1:38-1:51 - best part, maybe the best of all songs ever written

You are so right 😊👍

thanks for posting! :)

@tigranvartanovitch ha! another lying knave invader...swordfight time. lol

arm yourselves saxons! i am! lol