Country music has for decades had its roots in the gospel, with many of the reigning and former superstars in the genre boldly singing about their faith. With that in mind, we picked four of our favorite gospel-influenced country songs, which still stir the soul today.
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1. "Three Wooden Crosses" by Randy Travis
"Three Wooden Crosses" was written by Kim Williams and Doug Johnson, and released by Randy Travis in 2002, from his Rise and Shine album. The song is a story, told by the son of a former hooker, as referenced in the song, who becomes a preacher.
"That's the story that our preacher told last Sunday," Travis sings. "As he held that blood-stained Bible up / For all of us to see / He said, 'Bless the farmer, and the teacher, and the preacher / Who gave this Bible to my mama / Who read it to me.'"
"One night, I was sitting around the house, and I came up with the characters - a farmer, a teacher, a preacher, and a hooker - on their way to Mexico," Johnson recalls. "I thought it was a really odd grouping of people, but from that, the first verse and the melody of a song just kind of came out ...I just had to figure out what was going to happen."
2. "Go Rest High On That Mountain" by Vince Gill
Two separate heartbreaking situations inspired Gill to write "Go Rest High On That Mountain." Gill began writing the song after the loss of Keith Whitley in 1989, but didn't finish it until Gill's brother Bob passed away a few years later.
Gill released "Go Rest High On That Mountain," a song about Heaven, in 1995. In the 30 years since then, Gill has sung the song, often through tears, at the funerals of several artists,.
"Go rest high on that mountain," Gill sings. "Son, your work on earth is done / Go to heaven a-shoutin' / Love for the Father and the Son."
"I wasn't going to record it, I didn't want to," Gill later admits (via American Songwriter). "But [producer] Tony Brown talked me into it ... When people are hurting the most, in the worst place they can be, they're reaching out to that. To that song. And that means way more to me than where it landed on the charts."
3. "Jesus, Take the Wheel" by Carrie Underwood
"Jesus, Take the Wheel" is the debut single from Carrie Underwood's freshman Some Hearts album, out in 2005. The song is written by Hillary Lindsey, Gordie Sampson and Brett James, and is an overt statement about Underwood and her beliefs.
"Jesus, take the wheel / Take it from my hands / 'Cause I can't do this on my own," the song says in part. "I'm letting go / So give me one more chance / And save me from this road I'm on / Oh, Jesus, take the wheel."
Perhaps surprisingly, with 20 years of hits since "Jesus, Take the Wheel" was released, Underwood still performs the song during each of her concerts.
"Every time I sing it on stage, it's like the first time. It still means so much to me," Underwood tells CMT. "I think this song will never die, because its principles will never die. We are human, and we are all full of mistakes, and sometimes we just need to let go, and ask God for help, and He will provide that. So I think that's why the song will always be relatable."
4. "When I Get Where I'm Going" by Brad Paisley With Dolly Parton
Brad Paisley proudly sings about the afterlife in "Where I Get Where I'm Going." Paisley is joined by Dolly Parton on the song, which was written by Rivers Rutherford and George Teren, and included on Paisley's 2005 Time Well Wasted record.
"But when I get where I'm going / And I see my Maker's face," Paisley sings, "I'll stand forever in the light / Of His amazing grace."
"When I was about ten years old, I was sick one Sunday, so my dad and I stayed home from church and watched the preacher on TV," Rutherford recalls (via Songfacts). "And in the middle of his sermon, this guy comes out in a karate outfit and attacks the preacher. Once they got the guy under control, the preacher got back up and said, 'I wouldn't worry for a minute. I know where I'm going, and I can't wait to get there.
"The Bible says that the lion will lay down with the lamb,'" he continues. "Can you imagine what it would be like to lay down with a lion and run your fingers through its mane?' Something about that image just stuck in my head, and 25 years later I remembered that sermon when I was writing with George Teren."
