Tina MusialTuesday's Tear-jerker: Don't Take The Girl
June 10th 2008 05:45
Tim McGraw began his career with the emotional story Don't Take The Girl
Monday: Oldies Country
Tuesday: Tear-jerkers
Wednesday: Wildcard
Thursday: Hit Song of the Week
Friday: Party Song
Today’s Tear-jerker:
Don’t Take the Girl by Tim McGraw
“Johnny’s daddy was taking him fishing when he was eight years old.”
And so the story begins in Tim McGraw’s “Don’t Take the Girl”. The artist’s illustrious career has been filled with upbeat tempos, blaring harmonicas, and even some controversial lyrics. But it all started with this emotional single, the story of young Johnny, and the girl who would be the love of his life.
The first verse begins with Johnny’s daddy taking him fishing, when “a little girl walked through the front gate holding a fishing pole.” Johnny begs his father not to bring the little girl. As an eight year old, he simply does not want her to come on the fishing trip. “Take Jimmy Johnson, take Tommy Thompson, take my best friend Bo,” begs little Johnny. “Take anybody that you want as long as she don’t go!” Johnny would give anything to go without the girl. “Take any boy in the world, daddy, please don’t take the girl!”
Obviously, this tale of a young boy (probably afraid to get cooties) is cute to many listeners. His father tells him “I know you don’t want her to go, but someday you’ll change your mind.”
“Ten years down the road”, Johnny changes his mind. “The same old boy and the same sweet girl” go see a movie together, and he “held her tight and kissed her lips.” But while the two eighteen year olds are enjoying the evening, “a stranger came a pulled a gun” on the two. Johnny begs the man…
“Take my money, take my wallet, take my credit cards. Here’s a watch that my grandpa gave me, here’s the key to my car. Mister, give it a whirl,” Johnny begs, “but please, don’t take the girl!”
Johnny is in love with the girl he used to despise. He had in fact changed his mind, and he had grown to love this sweet belle. Five years later, they are married, and are preparing for their first child.
But as the get to the hospital, something goes drastically wrong. “Doctor says the baby’s fine, … but his momma is fading fast.” Johnny “hit his knees” in prayer, begging the Lord…
“Take the very breath you gave me, take the heart from my chest. I’ll gladly take her place if you’d let me,” Johnny begs to heaven, “make this my last request.”
In the most chilling line of the song, Johnny prays on his knees. “Take me out of this world, God. But please, don’t take the girl!”
McGraw really knows how to hit home with his listeners. Fresh off this unbelievable line, he closes the song the same way he opened it, reminding the listeners of the loving couple’s origin. His closing line: “Johnny’s daddy was taking him fishing when he was eight years old.”
The incredibly story brings tears to the eyes of many a man who hears it. While young boys often want to spend time with their friends, and teens often want to spend time with their girlfriends, it takes marriage and true love to really understand the meaning of this song. Johnny would give anything for his love, even his life.
McGraw exposes this love perfectly, and hits the heart with the lyrics. It was a song, though not perfectly showing of his career, that lit up his young years.
[Curb; Written by: Craig Martin, Larry W. Johson; Produced: Byron Gallimore, James Stroud; Album: Not a Moment Too Soon (1994); Single Release: April 2, 1994]
www.timmcgraw.com
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