Tim McGraw Clears Up Fan Theories About ‘Don’t Take The Girl’
Jennifer Havener grew up in a small town in Upstate New York. She earned her B.A in Writing & Literature from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. She always knew watching reality TV shows and soap operas, particularly ‘Days of Our Lives’, would come in handy someday. When she’s not writing, she’s playing with her dogs, Lola and Ruger
Tim McGraw released one of his biggest hits over 30 years ago. The singer has many popular songs, but “Don’t Take The Girl” stays with listeners for a long time. Three decades later, fans still debate what happens at the end of the song. Tim McGraw put the question to rest by clearing up fan theories about the number-one hit song.
Tim McGraw’s Biggest Hit Confuses Fans
“Don’t Take The Girl” was a single off Tim McGraw’s second album, Not a Moment Too Soon. It cemented the singer’s status as one to watch in the country music industry. The song stayed at the top of the charts for two weeks but remained in heavy radio play for years.
Over thirty years later, fans still wonder what happened to the main characters in the song, Johnny and his girlfriend. The song was written by Craig Martin and Larry W. Johnson. In the opening verse, a young Johnny begs his dad to take anyone but the girl fishing with them.
“Take Jimmy Johnson, take Tommy Thompson
Take my best friend, Bo
Take anybody that you want as
Long as she don’t go
Take any boy in the world
Daddy, please, don’t take the girl.”
“Don’t take the girl” was a refrain Johnny asked throughout the song. In the next verse after the chorus, Johnny and the girl are on a date at the movies. They were robbed and Johnny again begged,
“Take my money, take my wallet
Take my credit cards
Here’s the watch that my grandpa gave me
Here’s the key to my car
Mister, give it a whirl
But, please, don’t take the girl.”
Tim McGraw Clears Up Theories About ‘Don’t Take The Girl’
Five years later, the couple is expecting their first baby. The birth goes wrong and mom and baby are in danger. Johnny drops to his knees,
“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.”
The song doesn’t reveal the fate of the baby or mom. But the real debate is about the music video for the song. The video shows Johnny and his girlfriend in every scenario from the song. The video ends with the mom and son playing baseball, but was it real or just Johnny’s dream?
Tim McGraw put the speculation to rest for good on The Bobby Bones Show. “The mom? I think the mom probably dies… It makes it more sad, right? I was rooting for her too, but sadly, I don’t think she made it,” the singer said.
