About The Song
“John Deere Green” is a song recorded by country music artist Joe Diffie. It was released in November 1993 as the third single from his album Honky Tonk Attitude. The song peaked at #5 on the country charts.
Written by Dennis Linde, the song is a moderate up-tempo describing a young man named Billy Bob, who is in love with a young woman named Charlene, both of whom met in high school. One late summer evening, Billy Bob hauls a can of “John Deere green” paint to the top of a water tower and paints the words “Billy Bob loves Charlene,” as well as an outline of a heart, on the tower, as a means of professing his affection towards Charlene. The second verse describes the two of them raising a family on an 80-acre farm they purchased (with a front yard from which Billy Bob’s water tower decorations are viewable), while the bridge reveals that the heart and words continue to remain intact on the tower, despite the town’s numerous ponderations to paint over them.
For the single release, Epic Records had Diffie re-record “John Deere Green” for commercial and airplay release. The re-recorded version included a slightly altered rearrangement, more commercial-pop sound, as well as re-recorded vocals. To date, the “Edited” version has only been released via cassette tape and 7″ single.
Video
Lyrics
They were farm kids way down in Dixie
They met in high school in the ’60s
Everyone knew it was love from the start
One July in the midnight hours
They climbed upon the water tower
Stood on the rail and painted a ten-foot heart
In John Deere green
On a hot summer night
He wrote, “Billy Bob loves Charlene”
In letters three feet high
And the whole town said that he should’ve used red
But it looked good to Charlene
In John Deere green
They settled down on 80 acres
Raising sweet corn, kids, and tomatoes
They went together like a hand and a glove
Yes, hi, dear
On a clear day from their front yard
If you’re looking, know what to look for
Off to the east, you can still read his words of love
In John Deere green
On a hot summer night
He wrote, “Billy Bob loves Charlene”
In letters three feet high
And the whole town said the boy should’ve used red
But it looked good to Charlene
In John Deere green
Now more than once, the town has discovered
Painting over it ain’t no use
There ain’t no paint in the world that’ll cover it
The heart keeps showing through
In John Deere green
On a hot summer night
He wrote, “Billy Bob loves Charlene”
In letters three feet high
And the whole town said the boy should’ve used red
But it looked good to Charlene
In John Deere green
Oh, paint it green, boy
In John Deere green
On a hot summer night
He wrote, “Billy Bob loves Charlene”
In letters three feet high
And the whole town said the boy should’ve used red
But it looked good to Charlene
In John Deere green
Oh, take it on Joe Diffie
John Deere green, yeah