This song, as the popular phrase goes in 2025, is “one of one.” It reminds me of living in New York City, it was 1995 and I remember listening to this song on the Staten Island ferry after finishing basketball tryouts at Curtis High School, which was on Staten Island. Some people listen to rap, hip hop, rock, to get amped up. For me, it was always the deep emotional songs that inspired me before or after a competitive sports matchup. We didn’t stick around New York (my dad retired from the Coast Guard and we were in Florida a few weeks later), but the song has stuck with me all these years.
This week, Vince released what they’re calling an extended version of the wonderful song. In it, they add a new verse which goes like this: You’re safely home in the arms of Jesus. Eternal life, my brother’s found. A day will come, I know I’ll see him in that sacred place, on that Holy ground.
Originally it was written for people Vince Gill was close to (1990s) but since then it’s been performed countless times to memorialize special people in country music and beyond. One such moment is ingrained in my memory as Vince Gill performed at the funeral of George Jones. If you really want to be moved, watch this and notice Patty Loveless carrying the entire thing when Vince was so broken up and also listen to the passionate guitar solo about halfway through. Such a good song.
The verse isn’t new, per se. He has performed it for the last 5 or 6 years in live shows. It’s just that now it’s an official recording and the timing couldn’t be more significant with the passing of Charlie Kirk. Here’s a live version of the verse from a Vince Gill Christmas show a few years back.
-Out of the Wilderness
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Out of the Wilderness 