Riley Green Brings ‘Jesus Saves’ To Life With Emotional Video
Released in honor of Veterans Day, the clip brings the song’s powerful storyline to life.
Riley Green; Photo via YouTube
Riley Green continues to turn heads with the heart-wrenching true storyline of his self-penned song, “Jesus Saves.” In honor of Veterans Day, the country star has released a heartfelt music video for the song and announced a donation to Folds of Honor to mark the occasion.
“Jesus Saves” appears on Green’s new album, Don’t Mind If I Do, and tells the story of a man who has found himself homeless after facing years of hardships.
The storyline unfolds as Green explains that he would often pass a man on the side of the road holding a sign that says “Jesus Saves.” He finds himself wanting to know more about the man and his story and learns that he is a veteran who has faced a lifetime of pain and sorrow.
The man then shares his story of growing up without a father in the picture, losing his mother to cancer, and being shipped off to war just after finishing school. His journey doesn’t end there as he returns from war to find “my whole world didn’t love me anymore.”
More heartbreaking details about his life continued to be revealed throughout the song, including losing his child whom he named after his late brother. He explains that he chose to write “Jesus Saves” on his sign “’Cause there ain’t no way” he can fit his life story on a piece of cardboard.
The song is a prime example of what country music was built on – honest storytelling.
Green recently shared the story behind the song and admitted it will “always be a favorite” of his due to “how it made me feel when I wrote it.”
“I got the idea from a real personal experience of riding around Nashville, Tennessee and seeing somebody on the side of the road that was homeless, and thinking about how tough it would be for somebody to have to try to win over a stranger with just what they could fit on a piece of cardboard and trying to tell your story and maybe how we might be a little more compassionate or sympathetic if we really knew what somebody had been through,” he recently explained.
Green brought the song to life through the just-released music video which includes a stripped-down performance of the song intermixed with visuals that bring the emotional storyline to life.
Along with the video release, Green will be making a donation to Folds of Honor through his charitable fund, Buford Bonds, established in 2023 to support nonprofits across the country dedicated to helping those in greatest need.
The multi-platinum star recently returned from a run of shows in Australia and this evening, he will make his late-night debut on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. The Alabama native is set to perform “you look like you love me” with Ella Langley on the show and on November 20, they will celebrate their CMA Award nomination for Musical Event of the Year at the 58th Annual CMA Awards.
Early next year, Riley Green will embark on his headlining Damn Country Music Tour, which sold 100,000 tickets within just eight hours of on-sale. The trek kicks off on March 27, 2025, and runs through August 23, 2025.
Written by
Lauren Jo Black
Lauren Jo Black, a University of Central Florida graduate, has immersed herself in the world of country music for over 15 years. In 2008, she co-founded CountryMusicIsLove, eventually selling it to a major record label in 2015. Following the rebranding of the website to Sounds Like Nashville, Black served as Editor-in-Chief for two and a half years. Currently, she assumes the role of Editor-in-Chief at Country Now and oversees Country Now’s content and digital footprint. Her extensive experience also encompasses her previous role as a Country Music Expert Writer for Answers.com and her work being featured on Forbes.com. She’s been spotlighted among Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. Black also spent time in front of the camera as host of Country Now Live, which brought live music directly to fans in 2021 when the majority of concerts were halted due to the pandemic. During this time, she hosted 24 weeks of live concerts via Country Now Live on Twitch with special guests such as Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Jordan Davis, Brett Young, and Jon Pardi. Over the course of her career, she has had the privilege of conducting interviews with some of the industry’s most prominent stars, including Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson, and many others. Lauren Jo Black is a longtime member of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.