Leaves That Are Green

Cash Box described the song as a "melodic ballad about the ever-constant aging process."[5] Allmusic critic Matthew Greenwald described the music as having a "sprightly folk-pop tempo and feel" with "inventive percussion and harpsichord," and described the lyrics as using "changing seasons to convey the feelings at the disintegration of a romance."[6] Simon biographer Laura Jackson described the song as "peaceful number" in which Simon uses the changing seasons to illustrate that time goes on, and all things come and go.[7] Simon biographer Cornel Bonca criticizes the "cliched nature imagery" but notes that the "delightful" harpsichord opening "belies the lyrics' winsome gloom."[8] On the other hand, music critic Paul Williams used a line from "Leaves That Are Green" to demonstrate Simon's skill as a phrasemaker with a gift for words: "She faded in the night like a poem I meant to write...and the leaves that are green turn to brown."[9]

Music journalist David Browne considered the theme of the song to be "premature nostalgia."[10] Music journalist Chris Charlesworth considers "Leaves That Are Green" to be Simon's first and possibly prettiest of many of Simon's songs that deal with the passage of time.[11] Charlesworth praised the "intricate guitar picking" but criticizes a "failure of the imagination" in the 3rd verse, where the lyrics just say hello and goodbye.[11]

Simon played "Leaves That Are Green" at a live concert at his alma mater Queens College in 1964, where he also played "The Sound of Silence."[3] Simon & Garfunkel performed the song live on their 2004 tour.[3]

The opening lines were quoted by Billy Bragg's song "A New England".[12]

Dorris Henderson covered "Leaves That Are Green" as a single in 1965.[13] Ronnie Hawkins covered it in 1971 on his album The Hawk.[14] J.D. Crowe covered it on his 1973 album Bluegrass Evolution.[15]