Introduction
“Love Without End, Amen” was written by Aaron Barker and first released by George Strait in April 1990 as the lead single from his Livin’ It Up album . Recorded in Nashville on February 15, 1990, the song marked a turning point in Strait’s career when it became his first multi‑week No. 1 hit, spending five weeks atop the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart—a feat none of his eighteen prior No. 1 singles had achieved .
The tender, mid‑tempo ballad unfolds in three narrative verses: first, a childhood incident in which the young narrator is sent home from school with a black eye, expecting punishment—but instead receives a lesson that a father’s love is unwavering (“a love without end, amen”); second, the narrator becomes a father himself and passes on the same lesson; third, he imagines standing outside Heaven, wondering if he belongs, only to hear that same message of unconditional love echoing eternally .
In an iconic live performance recorded on March 3, 2002, George Strait sang the song during the final concert ever held at Houston’s Astrodome, part of the closing night of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo . This show drew 68,266 attendees, breaking Selena’s previous attendance record, and became Strait’s first live album, For the Last Time: Live from the Astrodome, released on February 11, 2003 .
That night holds extra resonance: Strait dedicated “Love Without End, Amen” to President George H. W. Bush and Barbara Bush, noting it was one of their favorite songs and recalling a personal invitation to Camp David as one of the highlights of his career .
This live rendition captures not only the emotional resonance of the lyrics but also the communal and celebratory spirit of the moment—an enduring testament to the timeless power of paternal love.
Video
Lyrics
Well here we sit at a table for two
But bottle there’s just me and you
She loved me so but I loved her so wrong
I gave her too much of too little too long
So tell me bottle are the things I hear true
That all the answers are in the bottle of you
I need your help this memory’s so strong
I gave her too much of too little too long
Sometimes a man can get lost in a world of his own
He’ll neglect his real world who’s waiting at home
A woman needs her man’s love to lean on
I gave her too much of too little too longBest gifts for your loved ones