Listen to Chris Stapleton’s ‘Maggie’s Song’, a tribute to his late dog

Chris Stapleton’s new song about his late dog Maggie is a Certified Weeper.

The multiple Grammy Award winner and his wife Morgana bid farewell to their beloved dog in 2019, when she passed away at the age of 14. Her death and memory, however, serve as the inspiration for the aptly titled “Maggie’s Song”, in which Stapleton recounts her life and her final hours.

“Maggie’s Song” evokes moments as precious as when the couple found Maggie, abandoned in a basket as “fuzzy black puppy,” and the playful relationship she shared with their five children while keeping them “out of harm’s way.” Stapleton then tells the story of the day she died: on a rainy Monday morning, she couldn’t get up and put her head in her hand one last time.

“I told her she was a good bitch / And I said goodbye to her / Run, Maggie, run / With the heart of a rebellious child / Run Maggie, run / Be as free as you are wild, “Stapleton sings to a sweet melody that unites guitar and piano, with his wife’s soothing voice supporting the authentic message.

“Everything is true. There is no embellishment, ”Stapleton told the Los Angeles Times, adding that he felt a wave of emotion while recording “Maggie’s Song”.

“This one was hard to sing. I cried a lot,” he admits. “I have no authority over masculinity, but I don’t feel un-masculine or embarrassed about having feelings. In fact, I think it’s the most manly thing you can do.”

Restart was released on Friday (November 13).