Meaning of “Don’t Take The Girl” by Brett Young
“Don’t Take the Girl” is a song that was originally dropped by Tim McGraw in 1994. Brett Young is on record as stating that it was “the first country song (he) ever heard”. And obviously it had a profound impact on him, as not only did he go on to become a professional country singer himself, but Brett also came out with his own cover of “Don’t Take the Girl” on 4 August 2023.
As such the credited writers of his rendition are the same as the original, that being Larry W. Johnson and Craig Martin. However, in the case of Young’s song, the producers are Dann Huff and Jimmy Harnen. And Brett’s version came out on the aforementioned date as part of his studio album “Across the Streets”, which was made public via the efforts of BMLG Records.
The Lyrics of “Don’t Take The Girl”
This is a traditional country song, in that its lyrics tell a complete story, in a manner of speaking. The titular phrase is used in three different contexts, respectively representing distinct stages in the relationship between the featured couple.
The story begins with both of them as children. The way the boy, who’s “eight years old”, meets the girl, his agemate, is via his father organizing a fishing trip in which both of them are involved. The boy does not agree with this decision, which is why he initially states “daddy, please don’t take the girl”, as he apparently doesn’t see it fit for a female to join them on such an expedition.
The second verse fast forwards a decade, and now we see that this selfsame boy and girl have become a loving couple. Indeed, when they are confronted by an armed robber the boy, who is now a young man, throws himself in harm’s way in the name of protecting her.
Or the way he relates to the thief, upon the criminal threatening in sweetheart as if he’s going to kidnap her or something, is by informing him that he can have anything he wants, his “money”, “credit cards”, family watch or even automobile, “but please, don’t take the girl”. So basically, this same girl who once gave the primary subject the cooties has since become the love of his life.
The third verse moves ahead another five years. Now, the “same old boy” and the “same sweet girl” have seemingly become husband and wife, with the latter being on the verge of giving birth. But by the looks of things she’s having complications, whereas the doctor informs the guy that the baby will survive, but the mother may not.
“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.”
So in this final chorus, he’s not speaking to his father or a robber but rather God Himself. And what he’s telling the Most High is that even if he must give his life instead, “please, don’t take the girl”. In other words, he is praying for the survival of his significant other, even prioritizing her life over his own. And before all is said and done, the outro serves the purpose of reminding the listener that this all began with that fishing trip when the main subject was just a little boy.
So conclusively, this is obviously a love song though not a standard one, in that, first of all, it is relayed from a third-person perspective. Secondly, it does not revolve around direct statements of affection and commitment, as is the norm. But the lyrics do plainly relay that not only does the “boy” in the story love “the girl”, but furthermore that his feelings for her have become increasingly stronger throughout the years.
