Sometimes a song just hits all the right notes emotionally. Country songs can be especially heartfelt and even make you teary-eyed. They express gratitude, love, compassion, empathy, and a host of other strong feelings that resonate with you and will have you reaching for a fistful of tissues. Today, when we are gathering to give thanks and vocalize our appreciation for what is good in our lives, we wanted to share a few songs that will touch you in a very special way. These are from Russell Dickerson, Martina McBride, Tim McGraw, and Miranda Lambert.
Videos by Wide Open Country
'God Gave Me A Girl' by Russell Dickerson
This 2022 song co-written by Russell Dickerson describes a young man living the hell-raising party life and kicking up his heels, only to discover that the woman in his life was all he really needed. She transforms him. She is his better half, the love of his life, all the stock cliches - but they are so true. This is a great example of vivid storytelling, country-style.
"...God gave me a girl
Girl gave me a kiss
Kiss gave me a feelin' that I still get
Every time I look in her eyes
I don't deserve her and I don't know why
She gave me her hand
I gave her a ring
Then as soon as I could
I gave her my last name
Now I'm gonna give her forever
I knew what I wanted but He knew better
God gave me a girl, mm...."
'I Just Call You Mine' by Martina McBride
I love Martina McBride's voice. She always sounds so expressive and authentic, no matter what she sings about. In this beautiful song, she describes the man she loves, the one she has waited for all along. He is respected and even idolized by others and always makes people happy, but to her, he is only her wonderful guy. The man of her passionate, lifelong dreams. You believe every single word of this stunning tune.
McBride said to CMT News via Songfacts, "...It's a love song. I haven't done a lot of really vulnerable love songs, but this one, even though it basically says, 'You're the greatest thing ever,' which has been said a million and two times, it said it in a way that I thought was a little bit different and fresh."
"...And here I am
I wanna be your everything
There you are
Turning winter into spring
And everyone that sees you
Always wants to know you
And everyone that knows you
Always has a smile
You're standing ovation after years of waiting
For a chance to finally shine
Everyone calls you amazing, yeah-eh
I Just call you mine..."
'Live Like You Were Dying' by Tim McGraw
What a marvelous song this is! This twenty-year-old gem exquisitely performed by Tim McGraw will never get old or stale. It encourages people to act as if their time on Earth was very limited, as if they had a terminal illness. What dreams would they try to fulfill? How would they behave like a better person? It raked in many prestigious awards, such as a 2004 Best Country Song Grammy and Song of the Year and Single of the Year at the CMA Awards the same year. All well-deserved indeed.
"...And he said
"I went skydiving
I went Rocky Mountain climbing
I went 2.7 seconds on a bull named Fumanchu
And I loved deeper
And I spoke sweeter
And I gave forgiveness I'd been denying"
And he said
"Someday I hope you get the chance
To live like you were dying"
He said
"I was finally the husband
That most of the time I wasn't
And I became a friend a friend would like to have
And all of a sudden going fishin'
Wasn't such an imposition
And I went three times that year I lost my dad
Well I, I finally read the Good Book, and I
Took a good, long, hard look
At what I'd do if I could do it all again
And then..."
'The House That Built Me' by Miranda Lambert
I just cannot say enough about this poignant song about the meaning of home and all the precious memories enshrined there. The narrator goes back to her childhood home to find peace, redemption, and comfort in recalling the beloved place where she grew up. The way Miranda Lambert sings it is flawless. Home means different things to different people, of course, but as this song makes clear, a home is much more than just a building. It is an essential part of who you are forever.
"I know they say you can't go home again
I just had to come back one last time
Ma'am, I know you don't know me from Adam
But these hand prints on the front steps are mine
Up those stairs in that little back bedroom
Is where I did my homework and I learned to play guitar
And I bet you didn't know under that live oak
My favourite dog is buried in the yard...."
