There’s one thing that gets under Charles Wesley Godwin’s skin more than anything else. The West Virginia native is proud to be from the Mountaineer State, and he makes that apparent at pretty much every one of his live shows. The John Denver hit “Take Me Home, Country Roads” is a usual part of his set list, and the country artist even penned his own song called “Cue Country Roads” as a tribute to that track and his home state. So as you might imagine, he gets really, really upset when people insist that Denver’s classic song is about Virginia… and not West Virginia. In a recent interview with The Brothers Hunt, Godwin got to talking about West Virginia Mountaineers sporting events. He was letting those that aren’t familiar with the tradition know that, following wins, Mountaineers players, coaches and the fans come together to sing “Take Me Home, Country Roads.” The thing that gets Godwin riled up? People insisting that the song is actually about Virginia instead of West Virginia: “Every time, man. And inevitably, there’s always that person that’s like, ‘You know, the song is about Virginia or about western Virginia.’ Those people drive me f***ing nuts. It’s the smuggest, most annoying thing ever (when they say), ‘It’s about Virginia actually.’ If you’re coming from D.C., swing through Harper’s Ferry and tell me it’s about Virginia, not West Virginia, it drives me nuts… It’s about West Virginia.” Tell us how you really feel, Charles Wesley Godwin. Outside of a live CWG show (which are electric), that’s about as animated as you’ll ever see or hear the country singer. And he’s so passionate about it because he knows, for a fact, that John Denver’s famous tune is about West Virginia: “First off, I know this for a fact. I have a song called ‘Cue Country Roads,’ which I made that for the Mountaineers. I wanted them to play it at games and stuff. That had to go through John Denver’s estate. They have a manager, and I think it’s because John died unexpectedly… they manage his music and continue to this day. ‘Cue Country Roads,’ I paid a royalty to John Denver’s estate to have that song. I met the manager, I met family members and stuff. That song is about West Virginia.” When the “All Again” singer actually sat down with the managers and family to get all of the “Cue Country Roads” stuff squared, he actually got the origin story of the song. Sorry to let down all of the people out there who think the song is about Virginia… but I’m happy to confirm that Godwin and the rest of the Mountaineers out there are right. “Take Me Home, Country Roads” is about, and was inspired by, West Virginia: “The story goes, they were writing it. They played in D.C. the night before and they’re headed west and they were going through like the eastern panhandle and gone through Harper’s Ferry and all and they were writing the song that day in the car. The Blue Ridge mountains are on the eastern side of the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia, but it can be an adjective as well, cause all the Appalachians look blue when you see them out in the distance. The Shenandoah River runs right through that part of the eastern panhandle.” There you have it. Charles Wesley Godwin landed his argument by once again sharing that nothing gets hid blood boiling more than people who think they know more about “Take Me Home, Country Roads” than everyone else: “It makes me so mad. Every time, inevitably, there’s someone on Twitter, some smug sports writer that’s like, ‘Actually, the song…’ They always think when they say it too that they are the only one that has had that thought. It drives me up the wall.” And hey… I mentioned earlier that Charles Wesley Godwin puts on some high-energy concerts. Do yourself a favor and go see him play sometime this year (so you can hear him play “Take Me Home, Country Roads” and “Cue Country Roads”). Charles Wesley Godwin 2026 Tour Dates Jul 2 – Calgary, AB – Cowboys Music Festival Jul 10 – Saint Paul, MN – Minnesota Country Club Festival Jul 14 – Sioux Falls, SD – The District Jul 17 – Emigrant, MT – The Old Saloon Jul 18 – Kalispell, MT – Majestic Valley Arena Jul 19 – Whitefish, MT – Under the Big Sky Festival Jul 22 – Jackson, WY – Teton County Fair Aug 4 – San Francisco, CA- Regency Aug 6 – Sacramento, CA – Channel 24 Aug 7 – Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern Aug 8 – San Diego, CA – SOMA Aug 13 – Tucson, AZ – Rialto Aug 14 – Phoenix, AZ – Van Buren Aug 21 – Burlington, VT – Higher Ground Aug 22 – Toronto, ON – History Aug 27 – Oklahoma City, OK – Criterion Aug 28 – Lubbock, TX – Cook’s Garage* Aug 29 – New Braunfels, TX – Whitewater Amphitheater* Sept 11 – Baltimore, MD – Pier Six Sept 12 – Boston, MA – Roadrunner Sept 17 – Landmark Theatre – Syracuse, NY Sept 18 – Philadelphia, PA – Fillmore Sept 23 – Kansas City, MO – T-Mobile Center# Sept 26 – Nashville, TN – The Pinnacle* Sept 29 – New York, NY – The Rooftop at Pier 17* Sept 30 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena# Oct 1 – Raleigh, NC – Red Hat Amphitheater* Oct 9 – North Charleston, SC – Riverfront Revival Oct 15 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre Oct 17 – Garden City, ID – Revolution Concert House Oct 18 – Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom Oct 21 – Spokane, WA – Knitting Factory Oct 22 – Seattle, WA – SoDo Oct 24 – Vancouver, BC – Orpheum Theater Nov 5 – Royal Oak, MI – Royal Oak Music Theatre Nov 6 – Charleston, WV – Charleston Coliseum Nov 7 – Cincinnati, OH – MegaCorp Pavilion Nov 12 – Chicago, IL – Salt Shed Nov 13 – Milwaukee, WI – Riverside Nov 14 – St. Louis, MO – Factory * co-headline with Dylan Gossett # supporting Kacey MusgravesThe post Charles Wesley Godwin Shuts Down Claim That John Denver’s “Country Roads” Isn’t About West Virginia: “It Makes Me So Mad” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.