Of all the recurring themes that distinguish country music songs, one of the most emotional and timeless involves heaven. These tunes can come in many forms - country songs about going to heaven, country songs about heaven and angels, visiting heaven, or seeing a departed loved one again in the great hereafter, just to cite some examples. These songs may be recent or of older vintage. They may be performed by members of the newer generation of country stars or seasoned artists who've been around for a while.
Videos by Wide Open Country
No matter which category they fall into, these classic standards merit revisiting. During the holidays, when we are thinking about our family and those who have left us due to age, illness, accidents, or for some other reason, it's an ideal time to discuss country music songs about heaven. They can inspire us, move us, and ease the pain bred of loss. Here are my selections for the 10 best country music songs about heaven. Perhaps you will include them on your own playlist this Christmas and always.
10 Best Country Music Songs About Heaven
'See You Again' by Carrie Underwood
In any credible list that includes a female country song about heaven, Carrie Underwood's lyrical "See You Again" must be mentioned and lauded. This lovely song she co-wrote from her outstanding 2012 album, Blown Away, describes the narrator's belief that she will be seeing the person dear to her once again, perhaps not on this Earth, but in heaven during the next life. Although the song can be interpreted as being about death, there is something quite uplifting and hopeful in its message that relationships of any kind don't necessarily end when we pass away.
As Underwood wrote perceptively in Time via Taste Of Country, "To many it's a song about moving on after the death of a loved one -- about wanting to see that person again, and knowing that eventually they will. But I never dreamed that so many would relate to it in such a powerful way." This was a top 10 hit, and with good reason.
'Drink A Beer' by Luke Bryan
Bryan knows first-hand about excruciating personal losses, per Taste Of Country. Bryan's brother perished in a car crash in 1996. His sister, Kelly, died of unclear causes in 2007. That was followed a few years later, in 2014, by another harrowing and unimaginable death - that of her husband, who was Bryan's brother-in-law. The couple's three kids had no parents. Bryan and his wife compassionately took the trio in like they were their very own children, no questions asked.
This quiet, contemplative tune tells us how the narrator is dealing with his loss - sitting on a pier and silently quaffing a brew while the sun goes down. I can picture it in my mind, having endured the hard losses of my own beloveds - my parents, my aunt, my cat. More sad goodbyes than happy hellos. When Luke Bryan sings, "So long my friend, until we meet again / I'll remember you....," I understand what he's saying very well. I bet you do, too. "Drink A Beer" ranked no. 1 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs list.
'Ride Around Heaven' by Luke Combs (2024)
Leave it to the inimitable Luke Combs to come up with this touching song about the narrator's dear grandpa, who fetches him and "rides around heaven" with him, if only for a brief and poignant interlude in a dream. Combs co-wrote and co-produced the tune about visiting heaven, which is on his Fathers & Sons album. This sweet take on what a celestial trip beyond the clouds and sky might be like strikes a chord in people, especially those who have lost a granddad (or anyone, for that matter) who meant the world to them. It makes you feel like those we lost are right around the corner, waiting for us to join them someday. One commenter put it very well on YouTube: "Thank you for giving me a song that makes me smile and cry at the same time."
'Seven Minutes In Heaven' by Reba McEntire (2023)
This song from Reba McEntire's album Not That Fancy explains what she would do with just seven minutes in heaven. McEntire wouldn't waste time asking questions of some of the famous denizens of the great beyond such as Johnny Cash, Elvis, or even President John F. Kennedy. Instead, she would "spend them all with you." A comforting thought if you are in the throes of recent or long-ago grief. A great going-to-heaven song from the acknowledged Queen of Country.
'Holes in the Floor of Heaven' by Steve Wariner (1998)
What is so wonderful about country music songs about heaven is the comfort they offer in the form of whimsical images and concepts we can use to keep our loved ones who have passed away close to us, if only in our imaginations. In "Holes in the Floor of Heaven," "The general premise of the song is that there are "holes in the floor of heaven" that passed loved ones can use to look down on their family members on earth," per Wide Open Country. It deservedly garnered prestigious accolades like ACM and CMA Song of the Year 26 years ago.
'Letter to Heaven' by Dolly Parton (1963)
Written by Dolly Parton and on her Hits Made Famous by Country Queens album, the song tells the story of a child who asks her grandpa to write a letter on her behalf for her late mother so she can send it to heaven. He pens the letter for her, then the girl goes out to mail it. A dreadful accident takes her life and she is at peace with her mom at last. Piercingly and profoundly emotional, this song encapsulates such raw feelings: "She's happy up there with her mommy I know."
'Sissy's Song' by Alan Jackson
This beautiful and heartfelt song written and recorded by Jackson, an acknowledged master of country music, expresses the universal feelings that many of us have when someone passes away. Why did it have to happen, why was the person taken so young, why are there no good answers to these questions? The narrator seems to find some relief from bereavement in knowing that the deceased person - in this case, Jackson's housekeeper, Leslie "Sissy" Fitzgerald, per The Boot - is with loving heavenly beings: "She flew up to heaven on the wings of angels / By the clouds and stars and passed where no one sees...."
Jackson said, "I wrote it for a girl that worked for us who died. She was a lady that looked after the whole house. Leslie Fitzgerald was her real name, but we called her Sissy. She had an accident on a motorcycle; she was 40-something [when she died on May 20, 2007]. She was just somebody who was in our house every day ... then, all of a sudden, [she was] gone. When people get old, you expect them to die, but it's different when they are young and it's tragic like that."
"I Drive Your Truck" by Lee Brice
The story behind this song is 100% true. It will wring your heart out. Per CBS News, Co-writer Connie Harrington heard an interview on NPR with a man named Paul Monti, whose son, Medal of Honor recipient Sgt. 1st Class Jared C. Monti, made the ultimate sacrifice while serving in Afghanistan. "How was he going to commemorate his son during Memorial Day? He answered that he was simply going to drive his truck."
Harrington, plus songwriters Jessi Alexander and Jimmy Yeary knew what they had to do. Write a fantastic song to commemorate this brave fallen hero, find the right person to sing it, and get it on the radio so maybe Paul Monti would hear it.
Lee Brice immediately loved the song and sang it brilliantly. Paul Monti did hear it and even went to Nashville for the celebration when "I Drive Your Truck" hit number 1. The song took Song of the Year honors from the ACM and CMA.
Paul Monti passed away in 2022 at the age of 76. He formerly taught earth science at the high school I went to. An exceptional person and devoted father who leaves a legacy of love and respect for his son and for all those who courageously serve in uniform.
'Mom' by Garth Brooks
Brooks' mother, Colleen McElroy Carroll, died in 1999 of throat cancer. She was a country singer herself. Maybe that's why the song "Mom" moves Brooks emotionally to such an excruciating degree. The tune, which consists of a discussion between God and an as-yet-to-be-born child about the tender and precious love of a mother, was recorded by Bonnie Tyler before Brooks' version, per Songfacts, but he steals the show with it. Per the outlet, Brooks said, "When God describes what a mom is, I weep uncontrollably every time. Is there anything more beautiful than [a] mom to pay tribute to?"
'Threaten Me With Heaven' by Vince Gill
Per Songfacts, Vince Gill, his wife Amy Grant, Grant's touring guitarist, Will Owsley, and songwriter Dillon O'Brian wrote this song together. Grant's former father-in-law was the root of it. After he received discouraging news from a doctor, he reportedly joshed, "Well, what are they going to do? Threaten me with heaven?" In a note of tragically grim irony, Will Owsley eventually took his own life.
FAQs
What is the most played country song at a funeral?
It's hard to know exactly which country song is the most played at funerals, but "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" by the Carter Family is a popular and appropriate choice, per Taste Of Country.
What is a good country song for someone who passed away?
"Over You" was written by Miranda Lambert and her then-husband, Blake Shelton to honor his brother, who lost his life in a car accident. Sentimental without being maudlin, it conveys the aching pain of losing a cherished loved one far too suddenly and soon.
