Don't Take the Girl
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| “Don't Take the Girl” | ||
|---|---|---|
| Single by Tim McGraw from the album 'Not a Moment Too Soon' |
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| Released | April 2, 1994 | |
| Format | CD Single | |
| Genre | Country | |
| Length | 4:09 | |
| Label | Curb | |
| Writer(s) | Craig Martin, Larry W. Johnson | |
| Certification | Gold
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| Tim McGraw chronology | ||
| "Indian Outlaw" (1994) | "Don't Take the Girl" (1994) | "Down on the Farm" (1994) |
"Don't Take The Girl" is a song by American country music artist Tim McGraw. The song was Tim's fifth single overall, and his first number-one single on the Hot Country Songs chart. It was also a successful pop song, reaching #17 on the Hot 100.
[edit] The song
"Don't Take the Girl" is sung by Tim McGraw and tells the story of two young lovers dealing with difficult scenarios at three different stages in their lives. In each situation, the man does all he can to make sure different people "don't take the girl."
In the first verse, the young man (Johnny) is eight years old, fishing with his father. A young, un-named girl, believed to be Johnny's age, is also present. Johnny does not want the girl to come fishing with them, so he begs his father to "take any boy in the world / But please, don't take the girl".
The song's second verse portrays another situation, ten years later, wherein Johnny and the girl are returning from their date at the picture show (movie theater). They are stopped by a lone robber. He grabs the girl and tells Johnny to give in to his demands. Johnny surrenders his money, wallet, credit cards, his grandfather's watch, and car so that the girl would be safe.
Verse three takes place another five years after the second verse. At this point, Johnny and the girl are now married, when the girl is rushed to the hospital to have her baby delivered. The baby is safely delivered, but the doctor says that the wife is "fading fast" (presumably dying of complications). Johnny then hits his knees and prays to God, asking that his own life be taken instead of his wife's.
It should be mentioned that regardless of how the video depicts the ending, the authors told American Country Countdown in 1995 that they left the song dangling intentionally. They decided to let the listening audience decide if the woman in the song pulls through the birth of their child or dies following the birth. Unfortunately, like many good songs that make the audience think, the video tells a story that may not be fully the original authors' intent. (A reference is needed for the A.C.C. interview -- this was before the days of the Internet, so an air-date for the Sunday morning nationwide countdown would probably be sufficient).
[edit] Parodies
- Country music parodist Cledus T. Judd recorded a parody of the song, called "Please Take the Girl", on his 1995 debut album Cledus T. Judd (No Relation).
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| Preceded by "Your Love Amazes Me" by John Berry |
Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks number one single by Tim McGraw May 28-June 4, 1994 |
Succeeded by "That Ain't No Way to Go" by Brooks & Dunn |
