4 Songs You Didn’t Know Vince Gill Wrote For Other Artists

Vince Gill’s songs are some of the most beloved in country music. His decades-long career in the music industry has proved his worth as a singer, songwriter, guitarist, and performer. Gill’s mark is unmatched, boasting more than 60 songs on the Hot Country Charts and a sprawling career—with more than one evolution.

[RELATED: 8 Classic Vince Gill Tracks That Warrant a Revisit]

While writing classics for himself like “One More Last Chance” or “Go Rest High On That Mountain” Gill also penned a significant amount of stellar songs for other artists. From his contributions to the Pure Prairie League to songs given to his wife Amy Grant, here are four songs you didn’t know Vince Gill wrote for other artists.

1. “Misery Train,” Pure Prairie League

Written by Vince Gill

Gill got his start on the world’s stage with country rock band Pure Prairie League. Gill took over guitar duties on their 1979 album, Can’t Hold Back. Among his contributions to the group was “Misery Train,” a song about a vagabond hopping on a train to leave his relationship troubles behind. Gill was only with the outfit for three years before he moved on to the Rodney Crowell-helmed Cherry Bombs, but he has songs like “Misery Train” to prove his songwriting chops existed from the get-go.

I’m blue Lord I feel so sad
Well I’ve lost the best thing that I had
She left me and went away and now she’s gone
Lord it’s cold in this world alone
Well I thought that our love was strong
Didn’t know that I was so wrong
She told me she loved me and never go
Lord she’s gone why I’ll never know

2. “Jenny Dreamed of Trains,” Mary Chapin Carpenter

Written by Vince Gill and Guy Clark

Though Gill released his own version of this track in 1996, Mary Chapin Carpenter was the first to record “Jenny Dreamed of Trains.” Carpenter’s version appeared on Disney’s Country Music for Kids in 1992. Written for his daughter, Jenny, Gill went on to include it on his album High Lonesome Sound. Though Gill and John Denver’s subsequent versions of the song proved more successful, Carpenter’s version is just as worth a listen.

When Jenny was a little girl she only dreamed of trains
She never played with dolls or lacy kinds of things
Jenny counted boxcars instead of countin’ sheep
She could go anywhere when she went to sleep
All she ever talked about was gettin’ on to ride
She was livin’ in another time you could see it in her eyes
Everyday after school she’d head don’t to the tracks
Waitin’ for the train that was never comin’ back

3. “The River’s Gonna Keep on Rolling,” Amy Grant

Written by Vince Gill

Gill wrote “The River’s Gonna Keep on Rolling,” as an extension of the classic hymnal “It Is Well with My Soul.” The song’s lyrics follow the same theme as its predecessor: finding peace with your lot in life. Amy Grant’s version of this track, with the hymnal included on the front end, won her a Dove Award for Country Recorded Song of the Year in 2003. The song featured on Grant’s album, Legacy…Hymns & Faith.

You can tell someone you love ’em
From the bottom of your heart
And believe that it’s the truest thing you’ve known
And even if you never break the promises you make
The river’s gonna keep on rollin’ on

And if you haven’t got a dollar
Not a penny to your name
Somebody’s gonna miss you when you’re gone
And even if you never find
Just a little peace of mind
The river’s gonna keep on rollin’ on

4. “You Just Get One,” Ty Herndon

Written by Vince Gill and Don Schlitz

Taken from Ty Herndon’s debut album, What Mattered Most, Gill wrote this track with his long-time friend and collaborator Don Schlitz. “You Just Get One” compares the things in life that seem to never run short—pretty days, friends, songs—to finding your one true love, which, as Herndon points out in the chorus, you just get one.

You get a lot of pretty days
Somewhere the sun don’t shine
Make a lot of friends along the way
You leave a few behind

But you just get one, you just get one
You just get one true love
Oh, you just get one, you just get one
You just get one true love

Photo Credit: John Shearer / Essential Broadcast Media