Yeah
Lookin' back on the track for a little green bag
Got to find just a kind or losin' my mind
Outside in the night, outside in the day

Lookin' back on the track gonna do it my way
Outside in the night, outside in the day
Lookin' back on the track gonna do it my way
Lookin' back

Lookin' for some happiness
But there is so a loneliness to find
Turn to the left turn to the right
Lookin' upstairs lookin' behind

Lookin' for some happiness
But there is so a loneliness to find
Turn to the left turn to the right
Lookin' upstairs lookin' behind

Lookin' back on the track for a little green bag
Got to find just a kind or losin' my mind
Outside in the night, outside in the day
Lookin' back on the track gonna do it my way

Lookin' back on the track for a little little green bag
Got to find just a kind or losin' my mind
Lookin' for some happiness
But there is so a loneliness to find

Turn to the left turn to the right
Lookin' upstairs lookin' behind
Lookin' for some happiness
But there is so a loneliness to find

Turn to the left turn to the right
Lookin' upstairs lookin' behind



Lyrics submitted by Nelly

Track duration: 03:17

"Little Green Bag" as written by Hans Bouwens, Jan Visser

Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing

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Little Green Bag song meanings
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23 Comments

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  • 0
    Song Meaning:I think for years I've been barking up the wrong tree. Given the year the song was written I had always thought it was a reference to the Vietnam war, i.e. jungle tracks, green body bags, fear (looking all around for threat). I had assumed that reference to marijuana or money might be a bit obvious/simplistic but now I'm laughing at myself for perhaps over-analysing the song :-p
    Flag lilthinkeron January 22, 2012   Link
  • 0
    Song Meaning:I never thought the title “green bag” was correct. It didn’t make any sense. It sounded like he was singing “greenback”, as in money. Not only does it sound like it, and make sense in the movie, it also makes sense in the song and the song’s rhyming scheme. (Back – Track – Bag? Really? Bag doesn’t rhyme with track or back. Close, but no cigar.)
    I did a quick search and found that I was correct, as dedahl pointed out. They are singing “greenback”. From the song’s wiki (not that wiki's are 100% correct)
    “The 7" single debut of the George Baker Selection was released by the label Negram, which misprinted the actual title of the song, which is "Little Green Back (greenback meaning money)and "greenback" is the lyric actually sung. This has caused the song to be misnamed ever since.”
    Now the song makes total sense in the movie. Lookin’ back by the track (tracks denoting danger) for a little greenback. (people do dangerous things for money). What are some of the most common themes about money and happiness? People think money will give them happiness and will do anything to get money. (turn into animals – even killing each other, which is what happens throughout this movie) Who wants to be around a person that is so inhumane, so predatory? That person may have money but ends up very lonely. (as long as I can remember, multimillionaires have had a higher suicide rate than almost any other demographic group, even the homeless) And what are the next lines of the song?:
    Lookin' for some happiness
    But there is only loneliness to find. (hey that sound familiar!)
    Out of sight in the night, out of sight in the day
    and
    Jump to the left, turn to the right (both about running away and hiding, as if you are being chased, like possibly into an abandoned warehouse!)

    Lookin' upstairs, lookin' behind, yeah! (maybe you’re not being chased, maybe you’re paranoid, or maybe the guy next to you, who is greedy enough to help you steal, is actually greedier and will kill to take your share of greenbacks. Or maybe he's a cop!)
    I can see the line, “got to find just the kind or I’m losing my mind” to mean 3 or more different things, I haven’t decided which seems to make more sense.
    Anyway, that’s my analysis and if you don’t agree with me don’t be disheartened, just keep in mind I maybe under the influence of my own little green bag!
    Flag Lyrics2Deepon September 21, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:The 7" single debut of the George Baker Selection was released by the label "Negram", which misprinted the actual title of the song, which is "Little Green Back" (greenback meaning money) and "greenback" is the lyric actually sung. This has caused the song to be misnamed ever since
    Flag dedahlon August 13, 2010   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation:As a 48 year old guy can recall George Bakers Little Green Bag didn't know what it meant, but it says to me something totally different than what we are talking about here. If you pick apart the song lyrics and the symbolism in the Video something else begins to make sense.

    If the narration about "looking back on the track," and "for a little green bag," are broken down, Baker is kind of forlorn that he is on the heroin track, because what he would really prefer is just some weed but he has to get a fix. Track would be "track marks." ---Now, consider the symbolism of the black & white video of the dark haired beauty riding side-saddle, and sauntering by on a white stallion. then connect this symbolism; Heroin has been described as a seductive lady, and heroin has always been called Horse to symbolize its raw power and how it can runaway with you on its back. Baker wants off he would have preferred all along to have had that little green bag of weed.

    He tells us what he experiences with heroin just read this stanza; Lookin' for some happiness
    But there is only loneliness to find, Jump to the left, turn to the right Lookin' upstairs, lookin' behind, yeah! He says that he wants happiness, but that these trips he takes while on heroin have caused him to loose his way, he is unsettled it is quite obvious "there is only loneliness to find, Jump to the left, turn to the right lookin' upstairs, lookin' behind, Yeah!" He is looking over his shoulder unable to trust anyone to include himself, this man is very clearly suffering a terrifying continuous paranoia.

    If, he doesn't get off of the Horse, 'Heroin' he is going to lose his mind, he has to find that little green bag..

    Perhaps the attraction Tarantino had to George Baker's great song "Little Green Bag" as it relates to Resevoir Dogs, maybe that a huge multi-million dollar diamond heist would be the magic elixir that cures these hard-luck guy's who led a life of crime, and that this is really all that they wanted from their first day as an adult looking for a job was to find some way to make a fortune so they could quit the hustle associated with criminal activity... And, of course it doesn't work out for the boys in the movie, just as it doesn't workout for George in the song.
    Flag diskgrooveon August 06, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:yeah I can relate to this tune, especially when someone take your little green bag and smokes da rest of it.
    Flag desbahon June 04, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:The marijuana reference makes sense, especially considering it's being sung by a band from the Netherlands, and was released in 1969.

    I don't see it having anything to do with Reservoir Dogs, other than it being a great tune to open a movie with.
    Flag manumokaon January 16, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:hey, gregorybrian, you really can't remember a single marijuana reference? how about the whole anecdote that the undercover cop uses to get in close with joe? how he has a bag full of green when he walks into the bathroom with all of the cops.
    Flag kerbykerbyon November 26, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:The little green bag is just anything that's been lost-- it could mean something different to each person.
    Flag InYourMindon November 19, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:nickb1227: where did you hear that he was thinking about "Money?" That's interesting.

    i first heard the song when i was a wee lad on one or two of those compilation albums (goofy greats or funky favorites?). imagine my delight when i first saw reservoir dogs and that was on the opening track. if the song is about looking for a bag of pot, then it doesn't match the theme of the movie because the plot revolves around a botched jewel heist. The jewels, would very likely be stored in, yep you guessed it, a little green bag. (Note: I don't remember a single reference to marijuana in the film.)
    Flag gregorybrianon August 25, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:This song is awesome and fits perfectly with this movie. They both have that "coolness" about them.


    Actually Tarantino was originally planning on using "Money" by Pink Floyd, but one day when he was in his car he heard "Little Green Bag" and knew right away that it would be perfect. Pretty cool story!
    Flag nickb1227on June 09, 2007   Link

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