You’ve probably heard it in a crowded bar, or maybe it popped up on a "Chill Country" playlist while you were driving. That steady, driving acoustic rhythm and the lyrics about a girl from Jackson and a "big old Jersey Giant." It’s a song that feels like it’s been around for fifty years, something pulled out of a dusty Appalachian songbook. But if you’ve ever looked into who wrote Jersey Giant, you might have run into a bit of a rabbit hole.
The short answer? Tyler Childers.
But saying Tyler Childers wrote it is like saying Da Vinci painted the Mona Lisa; it’s true, but it doesn't tell you why the painting is in a museum or why everyone keeps trying to copy it. For years, "Jersey Giant" wasn't even an official song. It was a ghost. It lived on grainy YouTube videos and bootleg recordings from Red Barn Radio. It became a piece of folklore before it ever became a hit.
The Kentucky Roots of a Modern Classic
Tyler Childers wrote "Jersey Giant" early in his career, long before Purgatory turned him into the poster child for the "Save Country Music" movement. If you go back to the early 2010s in East Kentucky and West Virginia, Childers was just a guy with a guitar and a voice that sounded like it had been cured in a smokehouse.
He wrote it. He sang it. Then, he basically abandoned it.
It’s honestly kind of wild. Most songwriters would kill for a hook that infectious. Yet, for nearly a decade, Childers didn't put it on an album. He didn't release it as a single. To Tyler, it was just an old song from his "coming up" days. But the fans? They wouldn't let it die. They ripped the audio from live sets and shared it on Reddit threads and forums. It became a cult classic because of its simplicity.
The song tells a story. It’s about a brief, intense relationship—the kind that leaves a mark but isn't meant to last. When he sings about the Jersey Giant (which, for the record, is a breed of chicken, not a literal giant), he’s painting a picture of rural domesticity that feels lived-in. It’s not "stadium country" fluff. It’s grit.
Why Elle King Changed Everything
For a long time, if you wanted to know who wrote Jersey Giant, you had to be "in the know." You were a Childers superfan. But in 2022, the song took on a whole new life.
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Elle King released her version of the track, and it blew the doors off.
King has always been a bit of a genre-bender, moving between rock, soul, and country. When she decided to cover "Jersey Giant," she did something Tyler hadn't done: she gave it a polished, high-energy studio production. She brought in Charlie Worsham on acoustic guitar and flat-picked the life out of it.
Suddenly, the question of who wrote the song wasn't just for folk nerds anymore. It was on the radio. It was a mainstream hit. Elle King was very vocal about her admiration for Tyler’s writing, often telling interviewers that she had been a fan of the song for years. She treated it with a kind of reverence that you don't always see in Nashville covers.
The Songwriting Credit Controversy (That Wasn't)
Sometimes when a song gets this big, people start whispering about "stolen lyrics" or "ghostwriters." Let’s clear that up right now. There is zero mystery in the legal sense.
- Tyler Childers is the sole credited songwriter.
- He holds the publishing rights through Hickman Holler Records.
- Elle King’s version is a legal cover, performed with his blessing.
There was a brief moment where people on TikTok thought maybe a singer named Evan Honer wrote it because his acoustic cover went viral around the same time. Honer is great, don't get me wrong, but he's just another artist in a long line of people who realized that "Jersey Giant" is a perfect song for a campfire session.
Analyzing the Lyrics: What is a Jersey Giant Anyway?
The brilliance of Childers’ writing is in the specific details. A lot of people hear the title and think it’s about a guy from New Jersey. Or a sandwich.
Nope.
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A Jersey Giant is a breed of chicken. It’s the largest purebred chicken in the world. By putting that detail in the song—"I left my footprints in the mud alongside a big old Jersey Giant"—Childers is grounding the song in a very specific place. He’s talking about a farm. He’s talking about the mud. He’s talking about the physical reality of living in the South or Appalachia.
It’s a metaphor for a life he left behind. The song captures that bittersweet feeling of looking back at a girl you loved and a place you stayed, knowing you can’t go back because you’ve changed. The "Jersey Giant" is a landmark of a past life.
The "Red Barn Radio" Legacy
If you really want to understand the DNA of this song, you have to watch the Live at Red Barn Radio sessions. This was where Tyler Childers truly cut his teeth. While "Jersey Giant" wasn't on the official Red Barn Radio I & II release that hit streaming services, it was a staple of his live sets during that era.
Those performances are raw. There’s no reverb, no backing band, no pitch correction. Just a man and a Martin guitar. When you hear him play it there, you realize why he might have moved on from it. It sounds like a younger version of him. It’s more upbeat and "poppy" than the heavy, theological, and dark themes he explored later in albums like Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven? Artists grow. Sometimes they outgrow their best work.
How to Play It (For the Aspiring Pickers)
If you're a musician asking who wrote Jersey Giant because you want to learn it, you’re in luck. It’s a masterclass in the "boom-chicka" country strumming pattern.
The song is primarily played in the key of G (or capped at the 2nd fret to play in A, which is where Elle King does it). The chord progression is a straightforward G - C - G - D loop for the most part, but the magic is in the walk-downs.
- The G to C transition: Use your middle finger to hit that B note on the A string.
- The Tempo: It’s faster than you think. If you slow it down, it loses that "runaway train" feeling that makes the original so good.
The Impact on Independent Country Music
The story of this song is actually a pretty big deal for the music industry. It proves that a song can become a massive success without a label, without a radio edit, and without a music video.
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"Jersey Giant" became a hit because of "word of mouth" in the digital age. It’s a testament to Childers' songwriting ability that a song he basically "threw away" ended up becoming one of the most covered tracks of the last five years. It paved the way for artists like Zach Bryan or Oliver Anthony to realize that if the song is good enough, the people will find it.
You don't need Nashville. You just need a story worth telling.
Where to Find the Best Versions
If you want the full experience, don't just stick to the Spotify Top 50. You have to branch out.
- The Elle King Version: The definitive studio recording. Great for parties and loud speakers.
- The Tyler Childers Bootlegs: Look for the 2013-2015 live recordings on YouTube. They are the "pure" version of the song.
- The Evan Honer / Julia Sheer Cover: A slower, more melancholic take that highlights the sadness in the lyrics.
Moving Forward with the Music
So, you know the writer. You know the history. You know about the chicken. What now?
If you've fallen in love with "Jersey Giant," don't stop there. The world of Appalachian songwriting is deep. Tyler Childers was the gateway drug for a lot of people, but there's so much more.
Next Steps for the Listener:
- Check out Sturgill Simpson: Specifically the album High Top Mountain. It carries that same traditional-meets-renegade spirit.
- Listen to the "OurVinyl" Sessions: Search for this on YouTube. Many artists who cover "Jersey Giant" have performed there, and it’s a goldmine for high-quality, raw country music.
- Dig into the Hickman Holler Roster: See who else Tyler Childers is supporting. He has a keen eye for talent that values songwriting over "image."
The song "Jersey Giant" isn't just a catchy tune; it’s a piece of modern American history. It’s a bridge between the old-school storytelling of the 70s and the viral, fan-driven world of the 2020s. Whether you prefer Tyler’s raw delivery or Elle’s powerhouse vocals, the song remains a masterclass in how to write a hook that stays in the listener's head for a lifetime.