Riley Green Will Rip Your Heart Out With Song About Facing The Reality Of Love Ones Getting Older – “Bet They’re Biting”

Dang, Riley… these songs should really come with a warning.

Today, Riley Green released the deluxe edition of his 2024 album Don’t Mind If I Do this Friday, which features six new songs added to the tracklist of his third studio album.

Two of them have features from other artists in “Cowboy As It Gets” with Randy Houser and “I Just Need You” with Hannah McFarland. The other new songs are “Make It Rain,” “What Am I Supposed To Do Now,” “Bet They’re Biting” and “One To Willie,” which in fact features the “unmistakable guitar work of Willie Nelson himself,” according to a press release… he’s made it now.

But another one that stopped me in my tracks is “Bet They’re Biting,” which Riley penned with frequent collaborators Erik Dylan and Wyatt McCubbin. We all know Riley has a knack for songs that will hit you in the heart, especially when it comes to the aging of parents and grandparents and how awful and sad that is when you really realized we’re all getting older.

It feels like it happens overnight, and similar to his fan-favorite “I Wish Grandpa’s Never Died” and “Numbers On The Cars,” an underrated gem that is about Riley’s late grandpa who had Alzheimer’s, “Bet They’re Biting” is about a father figure in his life getting older, who still wants to be able to fish all day like he used to on a beautiful Friday afternoon.

He stops by the house to visit, and he doesn’t say if it’s his dad or grandpa but I’m just gonna go with grandpa because that’s such a theme in all of his music, and they talk about what a perfect day it is to fish. But Riley knows instantly what he’s talking about in terms of missing those times when his grandpa says “I bet they’re biting”:

“It’s gotten hard for me to stop by
But I turned in that drive
Walked past his rusty, two-tone, beat-up Chevy truck
And nowadays, he moves real slow
When the hell’d he get so old?
I said, ‘Hey, old man, how you holdin’ up?’

He said, ‘The sun is a-shining, got nothing but time
‘Cause it’s Friday all day long
Be a hell of a day to be out on the lake
On a boat with the radio on’
And we both know his best days are way behind him
But all he had to say was ‘I bet they’re biting'”

He really drives the figurative dagger in during the last verse:

“And we both know his best days are way behind him
While that old man was layin’ there, dyin’
All he had to say was ‘I bet they’re biting’
‘Yeah, boy, right now, I bet they’re biting'”

Don’t say I didn’t warn you…

It’s these kinds of songs that really show off his unique perspective and true talent for songwriting, and honestly, every single song on the deluxe edition is great. Riley continues to evolve and somehow put out better songs, while still managing to stay true to his classic country roots at the same time, which is impressive and most of what I love so much about his music.

Press play, but grab a tissue first…

“Bet They’re Biting”

“One To Willie” also features the legend himself, Mr. Willie Nelson, and his trusty guitar, Trigger. It’s easily one of my favorites:

Don’t Mind If I Do (Deluxe) Track List:

1. “That’s A Mistake”
2. “Change My Mind”
3. “Reel Problems (featuring Luke Bryan)”
4. “Turnin’ Dirt”
5. “Jesus Saves”
6. “Too Early To Drink”
7. “Pick A Place”
8. “Way Out Here”
9. “Waitin’ All Day”
10. “Chip Off The Ol’ Block”
11. “Alchohall Of Fame”
12. “Rather Be”
13. “Good Morning From Mexico”
14. “Torn”
15. “Damn Good Day To Leave”
16. “Looking Back On This”
17. “Don’t Mind If I Do (featuring Ella Langley)”
18. “Worst Way”
19. “Make It Rain”
20. “Cowboy As It Gets (featuring Randy Houser)”
21. “I Just Need You (featuring Hannah McFarland)”
22. “What Am I Supposed To Do Now”
23. “Bet They’re Biting”
24. “One To Willie”

Riley is continuing on his extensive Damn Country Music tour until the beginning of December.

Riley Green 2025 Tour Dates:

August 30th, 2025 – Puyallup, WA – Puyallup Fairgrounds at Washington State Fair %•

September 6th, 2025 – Niagara Falls, Canada – Misty City Music Festival %

September 10th, 2025 – London, UK – O2 Forum Kentish Town /

September 11th, 2025 – London, UK – O2 Forum Kentish Town /

September 12th, 2025 – London, UK – O2 Forum Kentish Town /

September 13th, 2025 – Birmingham, UK – O2 Academy Birmingham /

September 15th, 2025 – Manchester, England – O2 Victoria Warehouse /

September 16th, 2025 – Glasgow, UK – O2 Academy Glasgow /

September 18th, 2025 – Belfast, UK – Waterfront Hall /

September 19th, 2025 – Dublin, Ireland – Olympia Theatre /

September 26th, 2025 – Washington, DC – Washington Nationals Park

October 4th, 2025 – Winnsboro, SC – Field & Stream Festival %

October 10th, 2025 – North Charleston, SC – Riverfront Revival %

October 23rd, 2025 – Atlanta, GA – The Eastern

November 1st, 2025 – Gonzales, LA – Boots on the Bayou %

November 6th, 2025 – Grand Rapids, MI – Van Andel Arena #~/

November 7th, 2025 – St Louis, MO – Chaifetz Arena #~/

November 8th, 2025 – Kansas City, MO – TMobile Center #~/

November 9th, 2025 – Phoenix, AZ – The Hondo Rodeo Fest %

November 13th, 2025 – University Park, PA – Bryce Jordan Center #~/

November 14th, 2025 – Toledo, OH – The Huntington Center #~/

November 15th, 2025 – Peoria, IL – Peoria Civic Center Arena #~/

November 20th, 2025 – Lincoln, NE – Pinnacle Bank Arena ~/

November 21st, 2025 – Oklahoma City, OK – Paycom Center #~/

November 22nd, 2025 – Little Rock, AR – Simmons Bank Arena#^$

December 12th, 2025 – Las Vegas, NV – Resorts World

December 13th, 2025 – Las Vegas, NV – Resorts World

May 30th, 2026 – Panama City Beach, FL – Gulf Coast Jam %

#Jamey Johnson
~Drake White
$Lauren Watkins
•Josh Ross
/Hannah McFarland
^Dustin Lynch
%Festival dateThe post Riley Green Will Rip Your Heart Out With Song About Facing The Reality Of Love Ones Getting Older – “Bet They’re Biting” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.