Song of the year, in my humble opinion.
Yesterday, Riley Green released the music video for his stunning song “Jesus Saves,” which was first released as part of his Way Out Here EP in April, and was later included on the tracklist for his third studio album Don’t Mind If I Do, which he put out last month.
It quickly became a fan-favorite, and is easily one of the best song Riley has ever recorded or put out.
A solo write by Riley, it tells the story of an Army veteran who has lived a complex, and at times, pretty sad life that’s led to him him being homeless and “covered in dirt like the world had beat him down.” The message is that you never know what someone is going through and how they ended up in certain situations, and Riley told us before that it made him “wanna cry” when he wrote it:
“I mean, I wrote the song from something that I saw, you know. I thought it was a good message, you never know what somebody’s been through and I’m kind of quick judge, especially people in certain situations.
I know that it made me wanna cry when I wrote and played it back to myself. And I think that’s something I’m always drawn to, is songs that make you feel some kind of emotion.”
The depth in the lyrics will pull at your heartstrings, and as sad as it is, there’s a bit of hope in there too knowing that the man at least has faith and redemption in something more than himself and considers putting “Jesus Saves” on his sign enough of a message for people driving by.
The video is super simple, which features Riley playing an acoustic guitar as we get glimpses into the lives of veterans that have fallen on hard times.
With Veteran’s Day being tomorrow, it’s perfectly-timed and a wonderful message, and Riley also shared on Instagram that he created the Buford Bonds Charitable fund, which he will be donating through to Folds of Honor for the holiday:
“The ‘Jesus Saves’ official music video is out now. I created the Buford Bonds Charitable Fund named after my two grandfathers to help support different organizations important to me.
In honor of Veterans Day tomorrow, I’m making a donation on behalf of my Buford Bonds Charitable Fund to Folds of Honor. Visit the link in my bio to contribute to the Buford Bonds Charitable Fund or check out the video now to donate directly to Folds of Honor.”
It’s an amazing cause, and I love seeing Riley use his music to support our Veteran’s and honor everything they’ve done for this country.
And while I have your attention, I want to take a minute to thank every single Veteran, including my dad, for their sacrifice for our freedoms and comforts in the United States. It certainly doesn’t go unnoticed, and today, tomorrow, and every day, we are thankful for your selfless service.
You can watch the video below, but you might want to grab a tissue first, seriously… don’t say I didn’t warn you:
“Jesus Saves”