Let’s talk Riley Green and one of his most underrated songs, “Georgia Time.”
It’s one of his less popular tracks in terms of commercial success, but it’s definitely become a huge fan-favorite at his live shows.
He released it as a single in 2017, but for some reason, it seems to always fly under the radar when it comes to the more common favorites like “I Wish Grandpa’s Never Died” and “There Was This Girl”.
It’s always interesting to me that it did become such a favorite for his hardcore fans, because it’s so specific to where Riley’s from. But, what really makes it so great is the simple story it tells, one that has all the makings of a quintessential country song.
Namely, it’s all about cheating, heartbreak and wishing someone you want to be with would return the interest. You have to hear him tell the story, though:
“People in Alabama know, we call Eastern time Georgia time.
I wrote this song about a girl I was tryin’ to date from Alabama that was datin’ a guy from Georgia the whole time, if you can believe that shit.”
I really can’t believe it, but some of those particular details are what make it so good:
“Spring break down in Panama City, it was two thousand and somethin’
I don’t remember a single bar, that we didn’t show up drunk at
So when I first kissed her lips, I know she damn sure tasted whiskey
But she didn’t seem to mind
I told her I’m from Alabama, she said hell I am too
She said she was a roll tide fan, I said I bleed orange and blue
She said she had a man back home that she’d been leavin’ for some time
He lived just across the Georgia line”
If you swap out the locations and cities, I think a lot of us have been in the position he describes in the first verse at some point on a spring break trip in High School or college…
And if you’re from North Carolina like me and you’re currently having flashbacks nightmares from that week at Myrtle Beach senior year, just know I get it.
This has always been a favorite of mine, and I think it’s about time it gets some more credit:
And I love this acoustic version, too:
