The 12 Best Country Songs About Farming
"I'm gonna live where the green grass grows." 🌾
Country music and farming have always gone hand-in-hand. Many country artists, like Luke Bryan, grew up on a farm and draw musical inspiration from first-hand experience tending the land. Others praise the natural beauty of life on the farm, while some simply admire the hard work and grit it takes to be a farmer.
We've rounded up the best songs about farming, from early hits like John Denver's "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" to more recent recordings, like Travis Tritt's must-see live performance of "Where Corn Don't Grow," at The Franklin Theatre in Tennessee. There are somber ballads about the difficulties of modern farming and upbeat tunes about the simple joy of riding a tractor through the fields.
If you're looking for more country tunes to add to your playlist, be sure to checkout our lists of summer country songs, country love songs, and country beach songs. They're perfect to listen to while working outside, hosting friends and family for a party at your own farmhouse or barn, or on a farm-focused road trip to check out the country's best pumpkin farms, prettiest sunflower fields, and most charming Christmas tree farms.
"Thank God I'm a Country Boy," John Denver, 1974
You can't help but clap along to John Denver's folk hit about life in the country. Though the song was originally released on his 1974 album Back Home Again, it didn't become a chart topper until the following year after a recording of a live performance at the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles was released as a single. It hit number 1 on both the Billboard Hot Country Singles and Hot 100 charts.
Farm-friendly lyrics: "Well a simple kinda life never did me no harm/A raisin' me a family and workin' on the farm/My days are all filled with an easy country charm/Thank God I'm a country boy."
"High Cotton," Alabama, 1989
Alabama's 1989 hit speaks to the simple comforts of childhood, despite hardships, while growing up on a farm. In the music video, the members of the band drive past scenes from rural America, from kids boarding the county bus for school to farmers plowing their fields.
Farm-friendly lyrics: "We were walkin' in high cotton/Old times there are not forgotten/Those fertile fields are never far away."
"Alabama Clay," Garth Brooks, 1989
This song from Garth Brook's debut album tells the story of a young man who leaves his family's farm for life in the city, only to find unhappiness in factory work. Eventually feels the draw of home and the red Alabama clay. While the song was never released as a single, Brooks has said it's a fan favorite he often gets requests for.
Farm-friendly lyrics: "His neck is red as Alabama clay/Now he's goin' home this time to stay/Where the roots run deep on the family tree/And the tractor rolls through the fields of green."
"Heartland," George Strait, 1993
George Strait pays tribute to the culture and nature of the Midwest, including the fields a farmer "Works until the daylight's gone." It touched a chord with listeners, and the song went to the top of the Billboard Hot County Songs chart.
Farm-friendly lyrics: "Sing a song about the Heartland/The only place I feel at home/Sing about the way a good man/Works until the daylight's gone."
"Where Corn Don't Grow," Travis Tritt, 1996
Travis Tritt lends his voice to this song about a father explaining to his son that, just because he heads to a place "where corn don't grow," doesn't mean he'll be leaving behind his problems. Tritt first recorded the song for his 1996 album The Restless Kind, and performed it again for his 2016 concert album A Man and His Guitar (Live from the Franklin Theatre).
Farm-friendly lyrics: "Hard times are real/There's dusty fields no matter where you go/You may change your mind/'Cause the weeds are high where corn don't grow."
"Where the Green Grass Grows," Tim McGraw, 1997
The fiddle at the start of Tim McGraw's song (the first on his chart-topping album, Everywhere) kicks off one of the catchiest tributes to the simple pleasures of farm life ever recorded. The lyrics lament the daily grind of city living and paint a pretty picture of a life spent on a farm with loved ones.
Farm-friendly lyrics: "I'm gonna live where the green grass grows/Watch my corn pop up in rows/Every night be tucked in close to you."
"Daddy Won't Sell the Farm," Montgomery Gentry, 1999
Country duo Montgomery Gentry sing the story of a family patriarch unwilling to part with his farmland despite offers from urban developers. While there's certainly a sense of humor at play here ("Daddy gets calls from the mini-malls/When they're downwind from his hogs") the song is ultimately about sticking to your guns and standing up for the land you love.
Farm-friendly lyrics: "When his tractor backs up traffic/the reception ain't too warm/The city's growing around him/but Daddy won't sell the farm."
"She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy," Kenny Chesney, 1999
Kenny Chesney is clearly having a lot of fun with this 1999 single about a woman who appreciates his, ahem, farming equipment. Listeners liked it too, with the song breaking into the top 12 of Billboard's Hot Country Songs.
Farm-friendly lyrics: "Well, she ain't into cars or pick up trucks/But if it runs like a Deere, man her eyes light up."
"Amarillo Sky," Jason Aldean, 2005
The music video for "Amarillo Sky" starts off with short interviews of third-and-fourth generation farmers, young men who love their land and farming way of life. Jason Aldean follows with a song about the hardship of making a living in modern farming. It's also a tribute to the people who keep at it, day-in and day-out.
Farm-friendly lyrics: "And diesel's worth the price of gold/It's the cheapest grain he's ever sold/But he's still holding on/He just takes the tractor another round/And pulls the plow across the ground."
"International Harvester," Craig Morgan, 2006
Craig Morgan's upbeat tune about life as a third-generation farmer is full of swagger and pride for the job. It even kicks off with the sounds of farm equipment powering up.
Farm-friendly lyrics: "I'm the son of a 3rd generation farmer/I've been married 10 years to the farmer's daughter/I'm a God fearin' hard workin' combine driver/Hoggin' up the road on my p-p-p-p-plower/Chug a lug a luggin' 5 miles an hour/On my International Harvester."
"A Man on a Tractor," Rodney Atkins, 2006
In this song, Rodney Atkins wishes he could feel as fulfilled as the man he sees out in the field on a tractor doing what he loves: farming with his dog. Eventually, he realizes the change he needs isn't literally to go out and get his own tractor, but to find the same contentment as the farmer in his own life.
Farm-friendly lyrics: "His work was laid out there before him/In rows of green; his whole life was revealed/Oh, what I wouldn't give if I could just live/Like a man on a tractor with a dog in a field."
"Here's to the Farmer," Luke Bryan, 2016
Luke Bryan was brought up in rural Georgia and farming is a subject that's near and dear to his heart. This 2016 song is an ode to the hard work of farming, from the early mornings, tough labor, and high costs of doing business (for a lighter farm-focused tribute, give "Rain is a Good Thing" a listen). Bryan has also planned a 2021 Farm Tour, his 12th in the concert series to benefit local agricultural workers.
Farm-friendly lyrics: "Here's to the farmer that plants the fields in the spring/That turn from green to that harvest honey."
A writer and editor with 20 years of experience in the lifestyle and travel realms, Leigh Crandall has been a contributing editor to Country Living since 2020. She regularly writes about small businesses with big ideas, U.S. destinations worth a road trip, holidays, hobbies, and more rural pursuits. She is also a children's book author and co-founder of Cowbell, a creative studio inspired by farming and heritage. When she’s not working, you’ll find her curled up with a cozy mystery on her front porch or exploring the outdoors with her family.
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