Tim McGraw has released plenty of light-hearted tunes. But he is also the artist behind some truly heartbreaking ones as well. These four Tim McGraw songs will always make us shed a tear.
Videos by American Songwriter
“Don’t Take The Girl”
“Don’t Take The Girl” is McGraw’s first No. 1 hit. Out in 1994 on his sophomore Not A Moment Too Soon album, the song is written by Craig Martin and Larry W. Johnson.
“Don’t Take The Girl” begins with a little boy named Johnny who doesn’t want a girl to go fishing with him. As the song progresses, they fall in love and are victims of a robbery. The song concludes with them married, with his now-wife experiencing complications during the birth of their first child.
The lyrics say, “Take the very breath you gave me / Take the heart from my chest / I’ll gladly take her place if you’ll let me / Make this my last request / Take me out of this world / God, please, don’t take the girl.”
Making “Don’t Take The Girl” even sadder, McGraw tells Bobby Bones that he believes the mother actually dies in the song.
“Please Remember Me”
Out in 1999, “Please Remember Me” is on McGraw’s A Place In The Sun album. Written by Rodney Crowell and Will Jennings, Crowell first released it on his 1995 Jewel Of The South record. But it’s McGraw who took the song to the top of the charts.
“Please Remember Me” is about the inevitable ending of a relationship. The lyrics include, “You’ll find better love / Strong as it ever was / Deep as the river runs / Warm as the morning sun / Please remember me.”
“Just To See You Smile”
Not all sad songs are ballads. McGraw includes “Just To See You Smile” on his 1997 Everywhere album. The song, about pretending to be happy to reassure an ex, is written by Mark Nessler and Tony Martin.
“Just To See You Smile” says, “And yesterday I knew just what you wanted / When you came walkin’ up to me with him / So I told you that I was happy for you / And given the chance, I’d lie again / Just to see you smile / I’d do anything that you wanted me to / When all is said and done / I’d never count the cost, it’s worth all that’s lost / Just to see you smile.”
“If You’re Reading This”
There may not be a sadder song in country music than “If You’re Reading This“. McGraw wrote the song with Brad Warren and Brett Warren, better known as the Warren Brothers.
“If You’re Reading This” is about a soldier who writes a letter for his loved ones to read, in case he is killed in the line of duty.
“I remember I was on an airplane, and I think it was a Time magazine article,” McGraw recalls. “It was early on during the Iraqi war, and there was a story called ‘If You’re Reading This.’ And it was about soldiers writing letters and putting them in their pockets in case something was to happen. I’d read a few of the letters that they had written home of soldiers who had gotten killed in action. And when I got home, I called Brett and Brad, and they came over, and we sat in the living room and spent a day and wrote that song.”
McGraw debuted the song at the 2007 ACM Awards.
Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
Leave a Reply
Only members can comment. Become a member. Already a member? Log in.