The Story Behind ‘Give Me Back My Hometown’: How Eric Church Turned Heartache Into a Hit

If you’ve ever listened to Eric Church’s "Give Me Back My Hometown” and felt that ache in your chest, that’s not an accident. The song, if you just base it on the title, will have you thinking the track is about North Carolina. But listening to the lyrics, you’ll soon realize it’s a heartbreak track under the guise of a song reminiscing about one’s childhood. It’s a masterclass in emotional storytelling.   

Behind the gut-punching lyrics lies a surprisingly down-to-earth story involving a busted truck, a songwriting session with Luke Laird, and a whole lot of creative inspiration that led to one of Church’s biggest hits and a Grammy nomination.   

The hit song started with Luke Laird’s trip to North Carolina to write with Church. Laird experienced truck troubles and had to buy a new one on the way to the writing session (when there’s a will, there’s a way, especially if you have disposable income). Laird’s old Nissan Frontier started having transmission issues after 10 years, and his wife suggested looking for a new truck after the writing session.   

Before the writing session, Laird needed to purchase a new one to make the trip. He found a dealer in Knoxville, purchased a black F-150, and the salesman was standing in the rain when Laird arrived, and arrived at Church's cabin in the brand-new truck.  

Church’s North Carolina retreat has a makeshift recording studio made from an Appalachian diner in Banner Elk. It serves as a mountain music songwriting retreat where the magic happens. The setting added to the authentic, rustic atmosphere where the songwriting session took place.  

Church was surprised to see Laird’s new truck, with Laird joking they “really need to write a single.” The pair finished the song the day after Laird arrived. Church worked with notable songwriters, including Casey Beathard, known for writing “The Outsiders” and “Mr. Misunderstood,” and Monty Criswell, who wrote “Like Jesus Does” during an intensive 28-day songwriting session.  

The track performed well: it reached No. 1 on Billboard Country Airplay in May 2014, debuted at No. 95 on Billboard Hot 100, and peaked at No. 36, peaked at No. 4 on Hot Country Songs, and topped the Country Digital Song Chart. It also achieved 2x platinum by the RIAA.   

The track was nominated for Best Country Song and Best Country Solo Performance at the 57th Grammy Awards. Church made his GRAMMY stage debut performing the song at the 57th GRAMMY Awards in 2015. The album, The Outsiders, where the song is featured, also did well and debuted at No. 1 on both Billboard 200 and Top Country Albums charts. “Give Me Back My Hometown” was his fourth No. 1 single from the album.  

“Give Me Back My Hometown” resonated with audiences, especially since the lyrics are relatable to those who have loved and lost someone with whom they share a lot of memories in their hometown.  

The first verse is about reminiscing and just wondering what happened to their youth until the last two lines: “Damn, I used to love this view / Sit here and drink a few / Main street and the high school lit up on Friday night / Down there it's another touchdown / Man, this year's team is stout / I can hear them going crazy / And up here so am I / Thinkin’ about you sittin’ there sayin’ I hate this, I hate it / If you couldn't stand livin’ here why'd you take it, take it.”  

Detailing missing their hometown and loved ones continues to the second verse.  

“All the colors of my youth / The red, the green, the hope, the truth / Are beatin’ me black and blue cause you're in every scene / My friends try to cheer me up, get together at the Pizza Hut / I didn't have the heart to tell them that was our place / These sleepy streetlights on every sidewalk side street / Shed a light on everything that used to be.”  

The third verse sounds desperate and bargaining because the singer missed their loved one and would give everything to have them back (or at least their hometown without a smidge of any of their memories with them that made the singer miserable).  

“You can have my grandma's locket / The knife out of my grandpa's pocket / Yeah my state champion jacket / I don't care you can have it / Every made memory / Every picture, every broken dream / Yeah everything, everything, everything.”  

Country Universe awarded the song an “A-” grade, with Kevin John Coyne comparing it to U2’s “With or Without You.” Roughstock’s Matt Bjorke rated it 4 out of 5 stars, praising the production and Church’s interpretation of the song regarding the loss of his hometown. Rolling Stone described Church’s Grammy performance as “subdued,” emphasizing the nuances of the song and reflecting the perspective of a disenchanted man singing about his small town.  

The heartbreak ballad also fits into the broader theme of small-town living and nostalgia in country music, a genre that has a plethora of songs in which the concept of home and pain are often intertwined. Church’s vocal capabilities, suitable for bass, baritone, and tenor classifications, allowed him to capture the emotional depth needed for the track’s nostalgic theme.  

“Give Me Back My Hometown” is proof that sometimes the best songs happen in unexpected circumstances, like Laird’s truck troubles that led to a spontaneous purchase. If he had listened to his wife and postponed the songwriting session with Eric Church that day, they might have ended up writing a different song (the spontaneous purchase of the truck prompted Laird to put pressure on Church for them to write a single).  

Listen to the song with a new appreciation for the story behind it and all the small things that lined up to create the hit, including Church and Laird’s collaborative chemistry.