Ray Charles – Georgia On My Mind (Official Video)
Inspiration Behind Georgia on my Mind:
Georgia on My Mind was written in 1930 by Hoagy Carmichael and Stuart Gorrell as a sentimental ballad inspired by a woman named Georgia. Thirty years later, Ray Charles’s soulful rendition transformed it into a personal and cultural anthem for residents of this state. This song is played annually during the airing of the first major golf tournament of the season held in Augusta, Georgia at the Masters.
Biblical Application:
For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 10 He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing, 1 Thessalonians 5:9-11.
Exegesis of Georgia on My MInd:
Georgia, Georgia
The whole day through (the whole day through)
Just an old sweet song
Keeps Georgia on my mind (Georgia on my mind)
The woman who inspired this initial song must have been a special person.
I said, Georgia, Georgia
A song of you (a song of you)
Comes as sweet and clear
As moonlight through the pines
Even in the darkness, Georgia’s presence resonates by the moonlight.
Other arms reach out to me
Other eyes smile tenderly
Still in peaceful dreams, I see
The road leads back to you
Georgia was unlike any woman that Hoagy and Stuart had ever met. Ray sings this with an emphasis on the state.
I said Georgia, oh Georgia
No peace I find (no peace I find)
Just an old sweet song
Keeps Georgia on my mind (Georgia on my mind)
A song that captures memories of living in and near this state.
Other arms reach out to me
Other eyes smile tenderly
Other women may show interest in the writers of this song.
Still in peaceful dreams, I see
The road leads back to you
But Georgia was the peach of them all.
Whoa-whoa, Georgia, Georgia
No peace, no peace I find
Just an old sweet song
Keeps Georgia on my mind (Georgia on my mind)
Ray Charles influence of reflecting upon peaceful memories of Georgia.
I said, just an old sweet song
Keeps Georgia on my mind
Music has a way of keeping special places and people in our hearts and minds.
Final Thoughts:
As a child, Georgia was always the last state before my family reached Florida for a special Spring Break trip. However, as an adult, I spent nearly 3 years living just east of Georgia in Aiken, South Carolina. The rolling hills and pines etch this landscape. Now when I think of Georgia, I think of the Masters Golf Tournament in Augusta, Georgia.
by Jay Mankus
ExpressYourself4Him 