The Official History of Green Shirt Thursdays

Ok, here goes. After the Alumni Race in 2001, Coach Hamel was selling the Prep North Cross Country shirts. Now for those who are not familiar with the St. Louis area or anything of the sort, Prep North is the high school that our coach went to and ran cross country for. It has since closed. Coach Linhares had his high school shirts remade and some of the runners bought them since it is the 'history' of the program since coach modeled his program after his high school coach's program. So Brennan Connor and I both wanted one and we were going to purchase one. We weren't sure whether to buy the green one with the yellow letters or the yellow one with the green letters. Now at the time I wanted the yellow one with the green letters one because Coach had that one. Green was actually a JV shirt at Prep North. But then Brennan told me that we should both buy green ones and then we'll wear them on Thursdays and they will be Green Shirt Thursdays. And so it began....It started off strong and some people were picking up on it. Green Shirt Thursdays soon became a symbol of the newly formed BAMFOs, a faction group within SLUH XC. But there was a bump in the program my senior year (2002) when I left my green shirt in either Kyle Gonnerman's car(minivan/gonnervan) or his house. So for a few months I was without a green shirt. This was the dark ages. However, a few lads, namely Matt Killiany and Dan Flanagan, managed to keep it alive during those months. Finally Kyle returned my shirt to me and we began to spread the word. Here at Truman, we purchased some stylish pea-soup-green shirts and had "Thursday" pressed on the back. They are also size small, so they are nice and tight and the ladies love them. They are all like, "why aren't you wearing your green shirt?" and I am all like "It's Tuesday." So that is pretty much the story. And if that doesn't inspire you to wear a green shirt, I don't know what will. To all the ladies out there, buy a green (preferably tight) shirt and write Thursday across it. Then you will be almost as cool as me. Then you can take a picture of yourself, well it'll be better if you have your roommate, or even Matt take a picture of you and then have the pictures developed and give it to Matt and then he will e-mail it to me and then I will see the support of the greatness of Green Shirt Thursdays. And as most of you know there is a tough date coming up for those of you that only own one green shirt. I luckily have three: my Thursday shirt, my Prep North shirt and my Minnesota shirt that I bought at three in the morning one night in Minnesota this past November. But St. Patrick's day falls on a Tuesday or Wed., so you should wear your Green Shirt on St. Pat's day and the following Thursday. You don't have to worry about washing it because having a green shirt on is more important than having a clean shirt on. And (for the ladies) you can always put on some perfume or something to cover up any unwanted scents. I prefer Curve for Women. And there you have, at long last, the history of Green Shirt Thursdays
By: Kevin Crean
Edited by: Matt Killiany


The collegiate years saw Green Shirt Thursdays grow from its humble beginnings on a cross country team to a widespread following. Many SLUH XC alums took their Green Shirts with them to college and spread the good news of Thursday. I took it as my personal responsibility to get as many people to wear Green Shirts on Thursdays as possible. I began by writing a reminder on everyone's marker board on my floor early every Thursday morning (I had chemistry lab at 7:30, so I was awake before everyone else). People continued to forget to wear their Green Shirts, so I began sending out messages over AIM to everyone on my buddy list to remind them to wear their Green Shirt on Thursday. These are the messages found in this archive. They progressed from short, simple ad slogans to longer, more complex songs over time. For some, even the AIM reminders were not enough. They
claimed they had no Green Shirts. In response to this, I designed and had printed (thank you to the good people at the T-Shirt Place who charged me $1.50 less per shirt than they were supposed to) the Official Green Shirt Thursday Shirts. The picture is the design on the front of the shirts. These shirts were distributed to friends and family who in turn gave shirts to their friends and families. They also served as the jerseys for the GST intramural soccer teams at Dayton. Similar stories of success occurred at several other colleges and others are in progress. I even found a completely independent group of Green Shirt Thursday followers. In the post-collegiate years, the messages will continue being sent and posted and hopefully those who have been exposed to Green Shirt Thursdays will take the tradition with them.

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Frosty

Frosty the snowman was a jolly happy soul
With a corn cob pipe and a button nose
And two eyes made out of coal

Frosty the snowman is a fairy tale they say
He was made out of snow
But the children know how he came to life one day
There must have been some magic in
That old Green Shirt they found
For when they placed it over his head
He began to dance around

Frosty the snowman was alive as he could be
And the children say he could laugh and play
Just the same as you and me

Frosty the snowman knew the snow was hot that day
So he said lets run and have some fun before I melt away
Down to the village with a broom stick in his hand
Runnin' here and there all around the square
Sayin' catch me if you can

He led them down the streets of town
Right to the traffic cop
And he only paused a moment when he heard him holler stop

Frosty the snowman
Had to hurry on his way
But he waved goodbye sayin' please don't cry
I'll be back again Thursday

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Thursday is my...

From all the drugs the one I like more’s a Green Shirt
From all the junks the one I need more’s a Green Shirt
From all the boys the one I take home’s a Green Shirt
From all the ladies the one I kiss is a Green Shirt

Thursday is my boyfriend
Thursday is my girlfriend
Thursday is my dead end
Thursday’s my imaginary friend
Thursday is my brother
Thursday is my great granddaughter
Thursday is my sister
Thursday is my favorite mistress

From all the shit the one I gotta buy’s a Green Shirt
From all the jobs the one I choose is a Green Shirt
From all the drinks I get drunk off a Green Shirt
From all the bitches the one I wanna be is a Green Shirt

Thursday is my beach house
Thursday is my hometown
Thursday is my king-sized bed
Thursday’s where I meet my friends
Thursday is my hot hot bath
Thursday is my hot hot sex
Thursday is my back rub
My Green Shirt is where I’d like you to touch

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Thursday Hero

Standing in the rain, with his head hung low
Couldn’t get a ticket, it was a sold out show
Heard the roar of the crowd, he could picture the scene
Put his head to the wall, then with a distant sheen

He saw one Green Shirt, just blew him away
He had stars in his eyes, and the very next day
Bought a beat up T-Shirt in a secondhand store
Didn’t know when to wear it, but he knew for sure

That one Green Shirt, felt good in his hands
Didn’t take long, to understand
Just one Green Shirt, slung way down low
Was a one way ticket, only one way to go

So he started wearin it
Aint never gonna stop
Gotta keep on wearin it
Someday he’s gonna make it to the top

And be a Thurs-day hero, got stars in his eyes
He’s a Thurs-day hero
He took one Green Shirt, Thurs-day hero, stars in his eyes
Thurs-day hero, he’ll come alive tonight

In a town without a name, in a heavy downpour
Thought he passed his own shadow, by the backstage door
Like a trip through the past, to that day in the rain
And that one Green Shirt made his whole life change

Now he needs to keep on wearin it
He just can’t stop
Gotta keep on wearin it
That boy has got to stay on top

And be a Thurs-day hero, got stars in his eyes
He’s a Thurs-day hero, got stars in his eyes
Yeah, Thurs-day hero, got stars in his eyes
With that one Green Shirt, he’ll come alive
Come alive tonight

Yeah, he’s gotta keep on wearin it
He just can’t stop
Gotta keep on wearin it
That boy has got to stay on top

And be a Thurs-day hero, got stars in his eyes
He’s a Thurs-day hero, got stars in his eyes
Just one Green Shirt, put stars in his eyes
He’s just a Thurs-day hero
Thurs-day hero, Thurs-day hero, he’s got stars in his eyes
Stars in his eyes

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Get into a Green Shirt

Don’t you feel it growin, day by day?
People gettin ready for the news
Some are happy, some are sad
Oh, we got to wear Green Shirts today
What the people need
Is a way to make em smile
It aint so hard to do if you know how
Gotta get a message
Get it on through
Oh now mama, don’t you ask me why

Whoa, oh, get into a Green Shirt
Whoa, oh, get into a Green Shirt
Whoa, oh, get into a Green Shirt
For a time

Well I know, you know better
Everything I say
Meet me in the country on Thursday
We’ll be happy
And well dance
Oh, were gonna throw our blues away
And if I’m feelin good to you
And you’re feelin good to me
There aint nothin we can’t do or say
Feelin good, feelin fine
Oh, baby, wear Green Shirts today

Whoa, oh, get into a Green Shirt
Whoa, oh, get into a Green Shirt
Whoa, oh, get into a Green Shirt
For a time

Like a lazy flowing river
Surrounding castles in the sky
And the crowd is growing bigger
Lookin for the happy Shirts
And I got to let them fly

Whoa, oh, get into a Green Shirt
Whoa, oh, get into a Green Shirt
Whoa, oh, get into a Green Shirt
For a time

My Green Green Shirt

Cool my brains and soothe my head
Stimulate me, my Green Green Shirt
Sneak into my empty bed
And educate me, my Green Green Shirt...

In the summer in the spring
In public places, my Green Green Shirt
On an island far away
Lemonade with my Green Green Shirt

And when I was down and failing life
You can save me, my Green Green Shirt
And when they said I’m telling lies
You believed me, my Green Green Shirt

And through the noise I heard a song
You were singing, my Green Green Shirt
And when you said that nothing’s wrong
I believed you, my Green Green Shirt

But you were on when I came through
And I remember you
Then someday I will wear you
When it’s Thursday, my Green Green Shirt...

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Start Wearing Green Shirts

Start wearing Green Shirts wearing Green Shirts
Start wearing Green Shirts for me now
All your calamities and fits they will all vanish
I promise
It's just a matter of time...

So yeah, Ha!

Start wearing Green Shirts wearing Green Shirts (da da da da da)
Start wearing Green Shirts for me now
All your calamities and fits they will all vanish
I promise
It's just a matter of time...

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

STG

I don’t mind
You’re someone that ain’t mine
But someone that I’ll get
And you don’t know how
Hard I’ve tried
To convince myself that I
Can easily forget

But you left this feeling here inside me
One that never fails to find me...

On a Green Shirt Thursday
...a feeling inside me
Like the days of summer

On a Green Shirt Thursday
..I feel it inside me
In the hopes of one day

I won’t lie
I still can’t say that I
Admit we went too far
And you won’t see me change my mind
But I really wish that I
Could forget the way you are

But you left this feeling here inside me
The battle in my mind still fights me

On a Green Shirt Thursday
...a feeling inside me
Like the days of summer

On a Green Shirt Thursday
..I feel it inside me
In the hopes of one day

I can see that you're not beside me
But I still feel you shine inside of me

On a Green Shirt Thursday
...a feeling inside me
Like the days of summer

On a Green Shirt Thursday
..I feel it inside me
In the hopes of one day

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

The Shirt of Thursday

Hello Green Shirt, my old friend
I’ve come to wear you once again
Because a vision softly creeping
Left its seeds while I was sleeping
And the vision that was planted in my brain
Still remains
Within the Shirt of Thursday

In restless dreams I walked alone
Narrow streets of cobblestone
‘Neath the halo of a street lamp
I turned my collar to the cold and damp
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of
A Green light
That split the night
And touched the Shirt of Thursday

And in the naked light I saw
Ten thousand people, maybe more
People talking without speaking
People hearing without listening
People dressed in shirts that no one should ever wear
And no one dared
Disturb the Shirt of Thursday

Fools said I, you do not know
Thursday like a cancer grows
Hear my words that I might teach you
Take my arms that I might reach you
But my words like silent raindrops fell
And echoed
In the Shirts of Thursday

And the people bowed and prayed
To the Green God they made
And the sign flashed its warning
In the words that it was forming
And the sign said, the words of the prophets
Are written on the subway walls
And tenement halls
And whispered in the Shirts of Thursday

Thursday, October 16, 2008

I Got A Name

Like the pine trees linin the windin road
I’ve got a Day, I’ve got a Day
Like the singin bird and the croakin toad
I’ve got a Day, I’ve got a Day
And I carry it with me like my daddy did
But I’m livin the dream that he kept hid
Movin me through a Thursday
Rollin me through a Thursday
Wearin Green Shirts so life won’t pass me by

Like the clubbers over on the East Side
I’ve got a Shirt, I’ve got a Shirt
Like your Uncle Bill and that other guy
I’ve got a Shirt, I’ve got a Shirt
And I carry it with me and I wear it proud
It’ll get me somewhere, I’m not allowed
Movin me through a Thursday
Rollin me through a Thursday
Wearin Green Shirts so life won’t pass me by

And I’m gonna go there free

Like the fool I am and I’ll always be
I’ve got a dream, I’ve got a dream
They can change their Shirts but they can’t make me
I’ve got a dream, I’ve got a dream
Oh, I know I could share it if you want me to
If you’re wearin a Green Shirt, I’ll go with you
Movin me through a Thursday
Rollin me through a Thursday
Wearin Green Shirts so life won’t pass me by

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Bad Day

Where is the color we needed the most?
You give up on AIM and the magic is lost
They tell me your Green Shirts fade to gray
They tell me your passion's gone away
And I don't need no carryin' on

You stand in the line just to hit a new low
You're faking a smile with the coffee you go
You tell me your life's been way off line
You're falling to pieces every time
And I don't need no carryin' on

But you have a Thursday
You're taking one down
You send a message just to turn it around
You say you don't know
You tell me don't lie
You work at a smile and you go for a ride
You have a Thursday
The calendar don't lie
You're coming back down and you really don't mind
You have a Thursday
You have a Thursday

Will you need a Green Shirt holiday?
The point is they laugh at what you say
And I don't need no carryin' on

You have a Thursday
You're taking one down
You send a message just to turn it around
You say you don't know
You tell me don't lie
You work at a smile and you go for a ride
You have a Thursday
Calendars don't lie
You're coming back down and you really don't mind
You have a Thursday

(Oooh.. a Thursday..)

Sometimes the system goes on the blink
And the whole thing turns out wrong
You might not make it back and you know
That you could be well oh that strong
And I'm not wrong

(yeah...)

So where is the passion when you need it the most?
Oh you and I
You give up on AIM and the magic is lost

Cause you have a Thursday
You're taking one down
You send a message just to turn it around
You say you don't know
You tell me don't lie
You work at a smile and you go for a ride
You have a Thursday
You've seen what you like
And how does it feel for one more time
You have a Thursday
You have a Thursday

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

What I Got

Early Thursday morning risin to the street
Put me on a clean Green Shirt and I strap shoes on my feet
Got to find a reason a reason things went wrong
Got to find a reason why my money’s all gone
But I got a Dalmatian and I can still get by
I can wear a Green Shirt like a mother f-in riot
Life is too short so wear the Shirt you got
Cause you might get run over or you might get shot
Never start no static I just get it off my chest
Never had to battle with a bulletproof vest
Take a small example
A tip from me: take some of your Green Shirts, give em up to charity
Green’s what I got
It’s within my reach
And the sublime style’s still straight from long beach
It all comes back to you you’re gonna get what you deserve
Try and test that you’re bound to get served
Green’s what I got
Don’t start a riot
You feel it when the dance gets hot
Green Shirts are what I got...

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Kung Fu Fighting

Everybody was Green Shirt wearing
Those cats were fast as lightning
In fact it was a little bit frightening
But they fought with expert timing

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Punk Rocker

See me drivin down the street
I’m bored with looking good
I got both hands on the wheel
Thursday is coming
I’m wearing my Green Shirt with no fear
You can wear one too if you’re sincere

Coz I’m a Green Shirter yes I am
Well I’m a Green Shirter yes I am
Coz I’m a Green Shirter yes I am
Well I’m a Green Shirter yes I am

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Maps

Wait, they don’t love you like Green loves you
Wait, they don’t love you like Green loves you
ThU-u-U-U-u-U-U-u-U-U-u-Ursday
They don’t love you like Green loves you

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

The Sickness

Drowning deep in my sea of loathing
Broken your servant I kneel
(Will you give in to me?)
It seems what's left of my human side
Is slowly changing ... in me
(Will you give in to me?)
Looking at my own reflection
When suddenly it changes
Violently it changes
Oh no, There is no turning back now
You've woken up the demon ... in me

Get up, come on get down with the Green Shirt
Get up, come on get down with the Green Shirt
Get up, come on get down with the Green Shirt
Open up your hate, and let it flow into me
Get up, come on get down with the Green Shirt
You mother get up
Come on get down with the Green Shirt
You f#*ker get up
Come on get down with the Green Shirt
Thursday is the gift, that has been given to me

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Somebody Told Me

Well somebody told me
You had a Green Shirt
That looked like a Green Shirt
That I wore in February of last year
It’s not confidential
I’ve got potential
A rushin’, a rushin’ around

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Transformers

Transformers: Green Shirts in disguise