About The Song
In late May 1970 Lefty Frizzell entered a Nashville studio for a Columbia Records session produced by Don Law. On May 26 he recorded “Watermelon Time in Georgia,” an upbeat single written by Harlan Howard. Released on July 7 under catalog number 4-45197 with “Out of You” on the B-side, the two-minute-and-fifty-second track became one of the brighter moments in Frizzell’s later career. It arrived after several years of declining chart fortunes and marked a modest commercial upturn for the Texas-born honky-tonk legend, who was then in his early forties.
Howard, one of Nashville’s most prolific songwriters, crafted the number as a playful nod to Jimmie Rodgers’ 1929 classic “Peach Pickin’ Time in Georgia.” Where Rodgers celebrated Southern harvest time with a light-hearted wink, Howard updated the theme for a modern audience. The song tells the story of a homesick country boy working up North in Detroit. He has made good money but misses his sweetheart, his family, and the simple pleasures of summer back home. The repeated chorus—“It’s watermelon time in Georgia”—becomes both a lament and a joyful call to head South before the season slips away.
The lyrics paint vivid pictures of everyday longing. Daddy sits in the sun keeping the fish from biting, the old coon dog wants to run, and the singer’s “little Georgia peach” waits for him. Verses mix gratitude for Northern opportunity with an irresistible pull toward home, capturing the tug-of-war many Southerners felt during the postwar migration to industrial cities. Frizzell sings with the same smooth, slightly slurred phrasing and signature vocal slides that had defined his sound for twenty years, making the homesick tale feel warm and conversational rather than sentimental.
The arrangement swings with a bright, summery feel. Steel guitar lines dance around the melody while the rhythm section keeps a relaxed two-step groove that invites dancing. Columbia kept the production straightforward, letting Lefty’s voice sit front and center without heavy orchestration. The result sounded fresh yet unmistakably Lefty, bridging his classic honky-tonk roots with the more polished country sound of the early 1970s.
Released in midsummer, the single climbed the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart and peaked at number forty-nine. It spent several weeks on the national survey and earned steady airplay on country stations eager for lighter, seasonal fare. Though far from the number-one smashes of his early-1950s peak, the record reminded audiences and programmers that Frizzell’s relaxed delivery still connected. It became a modest hit that helped keep his name active during a decade when many of his contemporaries had faded from the charts.
Over the following years the track appeared on various compilations, including the 1983 Columbia album *The Legend Lives On* and several greatest-hits packages. It has remained a favorite on classic-country playlists and summertime radio shows, where its cheerful imagery still evokes images of roadside stands and family gatherings. While never as widely covered as some of Lefty’s earlier standards, the song stands as a clear snapshot of his ability to interpret strong outside material with genuine feeling.
More than fifty years after its release, “Watermelon Time in Georgia” captures Lefty Frizzell in a lighter, more nostalgic mood. What began as another Nashville session became a small but enduring reminder of the simple joys that pull a man back home. The record remains a warm footnote in a career built on heartbreak and hard living, showing that even late in the game Frizzell could still deliver a smile along with the ache.
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Lyric
Thank you, Detroit, you treated me good
But I’ve been here longer than I should
I enjoyed the money, but I miss my honey so
One thing on my mind, it’s watermelon time in Georgia.
Well, it makes a country boy get down in the mouth
When his body’s up north but his hearts down south
I said I’d be back; I’d better make tracks today
Lawdy I gotta go, it’s watermelon time in Georgia.
Daddy’s sitting in the sun, keeps the fish from having fun
My old coon dog is a wantin’ to run
And I can’t reach, my little Georgia peach too soon
One things on my mind, it’s watermelon time in Georgia.
So long Detroit, so long friends
If you’re ever down in Macon, won’t you please stop in?
And meet the little girl, that’s always been my whole world
Well, I’m leaving today, it’s watermelon time in Georgia.
Yes, I’m leaving today cause it’s watermelon time in Georgia…