Put a Little Green in the

[Verse 1] Saturday sun on the schoolyard fence Mara brought seeds in a paper sack Five small experts lined up by the beds Asking what goes where, and how deep, and when I showed them a furrow, thin as a seam They leaned in close like they’d heard a secret Then every hand found a place in the soil And the whole block slowed down to watch [Pre-Chorus] We pressed each promise under the ground And gave it a name we could say out loud [Chorus] Put a little green in the ground Give it time, give it room Every seed has a way of finding daylight Every small thing can bloom When the kids come back around There’ll be more than we knew Put a little green in the ground And see what a day can grow into [Verse 2] Luis made labels from an old paint stick Nia kept count with her fingers and grin A passing neighbor stopped with a hose Soon the whole row had a turn to begin We talked about worms and the heat of july About how the beans would climb their own way Then a boy who’d been quiet all morning long Asked if he could plant one more [Pre-Chorus] We tucked his seed by the marigolds He patted the earth like a hand to hold [Chorus] Put a little green in the ground Give it time, give it room Every seed has a way of finding daylight Every small thing can bloom When the kids come back around There’ll be more than we knew Put a little green in the ground And see what a day can grow into [Bridge] By august, the beans will be reaching the wire Tomatoes will blush where the sun falls late And every kid who remembers this morning Will know they helped make a place [Final chorus] Put a little green in the ground Give it time, give it room Every seed has a way of finding daylight Every small thing can bloom When the kids come back around They’ll have something to show Put a little green in the ground And see how a whole town can grow [Outro] We’ll meet here again when the season turns With pockets of seeds and a little more room to grow