*Submitted by John McKibbin of Hampden-Sydney College
Riley Green’s new single “I Wish Grandpas Never Died” has been a fan-favorite ever since he first played it live in Macon, Georgia, a few months back. Throughout the song Riley curates a “wish list” of sorts, twenty-one wishes to be exact, about things that just tend be a part of everyday life. They range from heartfelt and meaningful, to kind of head-scratching… like, how would we get around if every road was named Copperhead?
With that being said, I decided to go through the song and rank ALL twenty-one of Riley’s wishes. From the bottom, to the top, here it goes:
21. Every road was named Copperhead.
20. Even cars had truck beds.
19. High school home teams never lost.
18. Wish I could learn to drive again.
17. I wish every state had a Birmingham.
16. I wish every porch had a swing.
15. Everybody knew all the words to “Mama Tried.”
14. I wish Sunday’s on a creek bank would never end.
13. The first time, seventeen, she was my everything kiss in a Chevrolet could happen every day.
12. Kids still learned to say “sir” and “ma’am,” how to shake a hand.
11. I wish honky tonks didn’t have no closing time.
10. Farms never got sold.
9. Back road drinkin’ kids never got caught.
8. Monday mornings felt just like Friday nights.
7. Coolers never run out of cold Bud Light.
6. Country music still got played on country radio.
5. The price of gas was low and cotton was high.
4. Girls you loved never gave back diamond rings.
3. Good dogs never got gray and old.
T-1. Everybody overseas was gonna make it home.
T-1. Grandpas never died.
Man, what an incredible song.
