This is the true story of Megan Moroney falling in love with a boy from the University of Tennessee while she attended a rival school, the University of Georgia.

Yes, it Really Happened

Moroney has said herself that the story contained in these lyrics is no fabrication, having given her confirmation that the events really happened in multiple interviews. But what she won’t reveal is who her special Tennessee boy is. Even in the music video, you never get to see her school-crossed lover’s face. Fans have been left to guess, but Morgan Wallen is one popular theory.

Who’s the Boy?

The few traits that can be confirmed about this mystery Tennessean is that he has blue eyes, which only narrows it down slightly. However, it’s worth noting that Morgan Wallen remains on that suspect list, having piercing blue eyes himself.

Megan respects his privacy, whoever he is, and won’t spill the beans. Still, he’s lucky enough to be commemorated and immortalized in one of her songs, even if he shall remain anonymous possibly forever.

“I always say I cannot confirm or deny who the song is about,” she told People Magazine. “And I don’t think I’ll ever tell anyone who the song is about because I told the story in the song. So that would be giving it away too much!”

In an interview with iHeartCountry, Megan explained the song this way: “Tennessee Orange is my version of a love song. I’m a Georgia Bulldog, born and raised in Georgia, and when I moved to Tennessee, I met a lot of Tennessee boys, a lot of Tennessee fans, and actually found myself wearing a Tennessee shirt for the first time. And that’s how I thought of the, ‘In Georgia, they’d call it a sin. I’m wearing Tennessee Orange for him.’ And I took that idea into the writer’s room and we finished that day.”

Moroney also revealed in that interview her favorite lyric in the song, “I’ve always looked better in red,” which rounds off this stanza:

“Mama, forgive me, I like him a lot / Hell, I’m learning the words to Old Rocky Top / And he’s got a smile that makes me forget / I’ve always looked better in red”

Forbidden Love

At the center of the story is a young woman who falls in love with a boy who goes to a different school – one that rivals her own. It’s a classic girl-meets-boy scenario with a bit of Romeo and Juliet mixed in.

“I met somebody, and he’s got blue eyes / He opens the door, and he don’t make me cry / He ain’t from where we’re from, but he feels like home”

Megan Moroney’s parents’ opinions weighed significantly on her mind, particularly her mother’s, and this is reflected in the lyrics as she told Celeb Secrets: “I actually went to UGA, and when I graduated, I obviously moved here, fell for a Tennessee boy. So it was really just like, a true story. And my mom’s a really, like she’s a diehard Georgia fan. And so growing up, it was like, you’re not allowed to wear other sports teams. And so when I moved to Nashville and I found myself wearing Tennessee orange, that’s how I literally wrote the song. I was like, Georgia, they’d call it a sin. I should have said my mom would call it a sin. So, yeah, it was just I thought of the idea, like, the hook. In Georgia, they call it a sin. I’m wearing Tennessee orange for him. And then I brought it into the room, and we just wrote it that day. And then I think that was probably like 2 hours, and then I took it home and rewrote it a little bit, and now it is what it is.”

“He’s got me doing things I’ve never done / In Georgia they’d call it a sin / I’m wearing Tennessee Orange for him.”

Lyrics

Mama, I’m callin’, I’ve got some news
Don’t ya tell daddy, he’ll blow a fuse
Don’t worry, I’m doin’ okay
I know you raised me to know right from wrong
It ain’t what you think and I’m still writin’ songs
Just never thought I’d see the day
I’ve never felt this way

I met somebody and he’s got blue eyes
He opens the door and he don’t make me cry
He ain’t from where we’re from
But he feels like home, yeah
He’s got me doin’ things I’ve never done

In Georgia, they call it a sin
I’m wearing Tennessee orange for him

Took me to Knoxville last Saturday
And I wore the hat on his dash to the game
It sure wasn’t Athens but I
Fell for him under those Neyland lights

I met somebody and he’s got blue eyes
He opens the door and he don’t make me cry
He ain’t from where we’re from
But he feels like home, yeah
He’s got me doin’ things I’ve never done

In Georgia they call it a sin
I’m wearing Tennessee orange for him

Mama, forgive me, I like him a lot
Hell, I’m learning the words to Old Rocky Top
And he’s got a smile that makes me forget
I’ve always looked better in red

But I met somebody and he’s got blue eyes
He opens the door and he don’t make me cry
He ain’t from where we’re from
But he feels like home, yeah
He’s got me doin’ things I’ve never done

I met somebody and he’s got blue eyes
He opens the door and he don’t make me cry
He ain’t from where we’re from
But he feels like home, yeah
He’s got me doin’ things I’ve never done

In Georgia, they call it a sin
And I still want the Dawgs to win
But I’m wearing Tennessee orange for him
I’m wearing Tennessee orange for him

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: Ben Williams / David Fanning / Megan Moroney / Paul Jenkins

Tennessee Orange lyrics © Reservoir Media Management Inc, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC