The Possum on the Mower: The Wildest True Tale in Country Music
Some stories sound so outrageous that they just have to be fiction—except this one isn’t. This is the legendary, laugh-out-loud true story of country music icon George Jones and his unstoppable determination to have a good time. It’s a piece of music history that perfectly proves how truth can outshine even the best tall tales.
Picture this: it’s the late 1960s. George Jones, lovingly nicknamed “The Possum,” has a hankering for a drink. His wife, worried about his drinking habits, decides to hide the keys to every car they own. Most people might take that as a sign to stay home—or at least call a friend. But George Jones was never “most people.”
Glancing out the window, he spotted his riding lawnmower sitting in the yard, keys still in the ignition. Without hesitation, he climbed aboard, fired it up, and drove that mower eight miles down the road to Beaumont, Texas—all for a bottle of liquor. It wasn’t exactly a speedy ride, but determination clearly trumps horsepower.
You’d think this would be a one-time stunt, a funny story to laugh about later. But no—The Possum had more tricks up his sleeve. A few years later, George had married another country legend, Tammy Wynette. She knew his reputation all too well and tried the same trick: she hid every set of car keys. Surely that would keep him home, right? Wrong.
One morning, Tammy woke up to a quiet house and an uneasy feeling. George was gone. After a bit of searching, she finally found him—ten miles away, perched proudly on his mower outside a local bar, completely unfazed. When she walked in to collect him, George didn’t look the least bit embarrassed. Instead, he turned to his drinking buddies with a grin and said, “Well fellas, here she is now. My little wife. I told you she’d come after me.”
It’s that fearless, mischievous charm that made George Jones a living legend. The story became so famous it found its way into country music history. In Vince Gill’s 1993 hit “One More Last Chance”, Gill sings, “She might have took my car keys, but she forgot about my old John Deere.” And if you watch the music video closely, you’ll see none other than George Jones himself, cruising by on a riding mower, tipping his hat as if to say, “Still got it.”
Stories like this remind us why George Jones remains one of country music’s most unforgettable figures. It wasn’t just about his incredible voice—it was his untamed spirit, his humor, and his refusal to let anyone (or anything) stand in the way of his good time. That’s what made The Possum not just a star, but a legend.
