George Strait’s “I Believe” Lyrics Meaning
Mass killings are such that one doesn’t have to be directly affected to feel sorry for those who were involved. And unfortunately countries like the United States, i.e. George Strait’s homeland, has a serious issue with such incidents.
One of the most disturbing cases of a mass killing on American soil took place in late 2012 via what is known as the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. As the moniker given to this incident implies, most of the victims were children, thus earning the event a higher degree of shaking my head-ness. That is why the King of Country was moved to drop “I Believe” as inspired by that event in particular.
The number of victims in the aforementioned murder was 26. This is a number which accordingly appears in the lyrics a couple of times. And even though the title has sort of an inspirational tone to it, as does the wording to some extent, the emotion the song appears to be based on more like one of futility.
In other words, murderous acts like the Sandy Hook shooting are such that no one can truly predict when or where they will transpire. And that appears to be why Strait goes about ‘believing’. He acknowledges that navigating through such an environment is a dangerous journey indeed. But he has faith that there is ‘someone beside him night and day’ who is more protecting and motivating the vocalist to press on.
All things considered, that “someone” would be akin to an angel or a similar type of spiritual figure. Also, it is quite obvious that the singer is not speaking of himself solely but is likewise encouraging others to adopt a similar disposition.
In Conclusion
Conclusively, even though the world may be descending into an increasingly depressing state, the vocalist is not going to allow his heart to go there. Yes, as noted he sympathizes with those who fall victim to madmen like Adam Lanza, the individual that perpetrated the aforementioned crime. But on the more gracious side, George still believes that a loving Higher Power is in control of things.
George Strait
George Strait is a heavily-tenured country singer from Texas. Between 1981 and 2019, he managed to put out 30 studio albums. And unlike most musicians who have been steadily dropping albums for decades, all of these efforts up until 2008’s “Troubadour” have fared platinum or better. And it is such enduring pertinence which has earned Strait the distinction of being the “King of Country”.
“I Believe”
Another testament to how successful George Strait’s career has been is that “I Believe”, which MCA Nashville put out on 14 May 2013, was actually the first of his singles not to score within the Top 40 of the Billboard Country Airplay chart. However, it still appeared on said list, peaking at number 50. It has also been noted that “I Believe” still proved to be a fan favorite.
Initially Strait was hesitant to release this song. This is because he thought it may re-traumatize the victims’ families. Furthermore, he also didn’t want anyone to misinterpret it as an attempt to profit off of a tragedy.
Strait wrote this piece alongside regular collaborator Dean Dillon as well as his own son, Bubba Strait.
“I Believe” appears on Strait’s “Love Is Everything” album. It was launched as that album’s second single.
