Behind the gentle smile and signature cowboy hat lies a story that’s left millions of country fans speechless. In 1989, Alan Jackson was working as a mail courier at the Atlanta airport. He was married, raising three young daughters, and struggling just to keep the family afloat. Record labels turned him down. Bars ignored him. The dream was slipping away. But in the quietest act of love, Denise — his wife — took matters into her own hands. She went to the TV station where Glen Campbell was working, carrying with her the last hope for their family. And then… a miracle happened. Glen Campbell agreed to help. One phone call was all it took. A few months later, Alan Jackson released his debut single: “Here in the Real World.” And when his voice — raw, sincere, unforgettable — hit the airwaves, America stopped and listened.

Introduction

The History and Introduction of “Gonna Come Back As a Country Song” by Alan Jackson

“Gonna Come Back As a Country Song” is a track by country music legend Alan Jackson, featured on his seventeenth studio album Thirty Miles West, released on June 5, 2012. This album marked Jackson’s first release with his own label imprint, Alan’s Country Records, in partnership with EMI Nashville. Known for blending traditional country elements with heartfelt lyrics and storytelling, Jackson continued this legacy with Thirty Miles West, and “Gonna Come Back As a Country Song” is a standout representation of that.

Written by Alan Jackson himself along with Jim McBride — a frequent collaborator known for co-writing some of Jackson’s major hits like “Chattahoochee” — the song explores a playful yet reflective theme. Its lyrics imagine the afterlife from a country boy’s perspective, humorously suggesting that if reincarnation exists, he’d want to return as a classic country song. This imaginative twist combines Jackson’s laid-back humor with his reverence for country music as a cultural legacy.

Musically, the song is rooted in neotraditional country, featuring steel guitars, fiddles, and a mid-tempo rhythm that complements its lyrical mood. Though not released as a single, it resonated strongly with fans for its authenticity and clever writing. It’s a tribute not only to Jackson’s deep ties to the genre but also to the emotional power and timeless spirit of country songs.

“Gonna Come Back As a Country Song” embodies the spirit of Alan Jackson’s artistry: simple, sincere, and steeped in tradition. It offers a lighthearted yet thoughtful look at life, death, and the enduring place of music in both. For fans of classic country, this track feels like a heartfelt nod to everything the genre stands for.

Video

Lyrics

Let me just say for the sake of conversation
Let there be such a thing as reincarnation
But don’t you go cryin’ for me when I’m gone
‘Cause I’m gonna come back as a country song
I’ll be playing all night in every honky tonk bar
In the middle of a fiddle and a steel guitar
I’m hoping when the good Lord calls me home
I’m gonna come back as a country song
I don’t have to say it’d be Heaven to me
Watching neon lights for eternity
So go ahead and put it on my headstone
Yeah, I’m gonna come back as a country song
I’ll be playing all night in every honky tonk bar
In the middle of a fiddle and a steel guitar
I’m hoping when the good Lord calls me home
I’m gonna come back as a country song
So here I’m on a stool tonight
And I’m practicing for the after life
‘Cause when I’m nothing but a pile of bones
I’m gonna come back as a country song
I’ll be playing all night in every honky tonk bar
In the middle of a fiddle and a steel guitar
I’m hoping when the good Lord calls me home
I’m gonna come back as a country song
I’m hoping when the good Lord calls me home
I’m gonna come back as a country song