Gill was born in Norman, Oklahoma, the home of the University of Oklahoma Sooners and learned to play several instruments, including banjo and guitar before he started high school at Oklahoma City's Northwest Classen High School. After he graduated, he played in a number of bluegrass bands. He debuted on the national scene with the country-rock band Pure Prairie League in 1979, appearing on that band's album Can't Hold Back. Gill is the lead singer on their hit song, "Let Me Love You Tonight" (1980), which he was still performing in concert years later - thus, he said, confusing many fans who knew him only from his subsequent solo work. Gill appeared on two subsequent albums along with his then-wife Janis Oliver.
Departing Pure Prairie League in 1981, Gill joined Rodney Crowell’s backing band The Notorious Cherry Bombs, where he met and worked with Tony Brown and Emory Gordy Jr., both of whom would later produce many of his future solo albums.
Signing as a solo artist with RCA Records in 1983, he first charted while on that label. In 1989 he switched to MCA Records where he recorded his breakthrough hit "When I Call Your Name." His 1998 album The Key received great critical acclaim. His other albums include Next Big Thing (2003) and Let's Make Sure We Kiss Goodbye (2000). The Guitar Slinger Songfacts says that Gill released his twelfth studio album, Guitar Slinger, on October 25, 2011 via MCA Nashville. It was his manager, Larry Fitzgerald, who came up with the title, as he felt there was something different the way Gill was playing the guitar on the record.
Gill hosted the CMA Awards every year from 1992 to 2003. In 2004 he received a Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance. In 1997, he was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
He married country singer Janis Oliver (of Sweethearts of the Rodeo fame) in 1980. The couple have one daughter, Jennifer Jerene Gill, born 5 May 1982. Vince and Janis separated in the mid-1990s and eventually divorced in June 1998. Vince later began dating and eventually married Christian/pop singer Amy Grant in March of 2000. They have one daughter, Corrina Grant Gill born 12 March 2001.
Dire Straits leader Mark Knopfler was a fan of Gill's, and had asked Gill to join the band full time. Gill turned down the invitation but did sing backup on one song ("The Bug") from Dire Straits' album On Every Street.
Gill has also sung duets with numerous artists, including Dolly Parton ("I Will Always Love You"), Reba McEntire ("Oklahoma Swing," "The Heart Won't Lie," "It Just Has to Be That Way"), Amy Grant ("House of Love"), and Barbra Streisand ("If You Ever Leave Me"); his other credits as a backup vocalist have included "Girls With Guitars" by Wynonna Judd (written by Mary-Chapin Carpenter, who, coincidentally, had a country hit with her cover of "The Bug") and "Nothing Left Behind Us" by Richard Marx.
Do You Hear What I Hear
Vince Gill Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Do you hear what I hear
Do you hear what I hear
Said the night wind to the little lamb,
Do you see what I see
Do you see what I see
A star, a star, dancing in the night
With a tail as big as a kite
With a tail as big as a kite
Said the little lamb to the shepherd boy,
Do you hear what I hear
Ringing through the sky, shepherd boy,
Do you hear what I hear
A song, a song, high above the trees
With a voice as big as the sea
With a voice as big as the sea
Everyone, come together
Pray together, stay together
Celebrate the coming other king
All my sisters, all my brothers
Come together, love one another
Join me now, every voice and sing
Do You Hear What I Hear?
(Traditional Christmas)
Said the shepherd boy to the mighty king,
Do you know what I know
In your palace warm, mighty king,
Do you know what I know
A Child, a child shivers in the cold
Let us bring him silver and gold
Let us bring him silver and gold
The Child, the Child, sleeping in the night
He will bring us goodness and light
He will bring us goodness and light
Everybody, come together
Pray together, stay together
Everybody, come together
Stay together, celebrate together
Everybody, come together
Pray together, stay together
Everybody, come together
Stay together, celebrate together
Vince Gill's "Do You Hear What I Hear" is a beautiful and hauntingly melodic song that tells the story of various characters who encounter something miraculous yet unexplainable. The first verse starts with the night wind speaking to a little lamb, asking if they see the spectacle up in the sky. It turns out they both see a bright star with a tail so massive that it looks like a kite - a heavenly display that is impossible to ignore.
In the second verse, the lamb turns to a shepherd boy and asks if he hears what it hears. As it turns out, the boy is indeed hearing something: a song that is ringing through the sky, high above the trees - a tune with a voice so prominent that it feels like it could fill the entire ocean. The third stanza switches perspective, and we see the shepherd boy approaching a mighty king in the warmth of his palace to inquire if he knows something extraordinary. The king is unaware, but that doesn't stop the boy from sharing his revelation - an infant, shivering in the cold.
The lyrics then change direction towards the end, inviting everyone to come together - pray together, stay together, celebrate together. The last line of the song repeated throughout the chorus is a call for unity during this time of joyous celebration, asking if we can hear what they hear and come together as a community.
Line by Line Meaning
Do you hear what I hear
Asking if the listener can hear a certain sound
Do you hear what I hear
Repeating the same question for emphasis
Said the night wind to the little lamb,
Personifying the wind and addressing it to the lamb
Do you see what I see
Asking if the lamb can see a certain object
Way up in the sky, little lamb,
Describing where the object is located
Do you see what I see
Repeating the same question for emphasis
A star, a star, dancing in the night
Describing the object as a star and stating its movement
With a tail as big as a kite
Further describing the star's unique appearance
Said the little lamb to the shepherd boy,
Indicating that the lamb is now speaking to the boy
Do you hear what I hear
Asking if the boy can hear a certain sound
Ringing through the sky, shepherd boy,
Describing the sound and where it can be heard
Do you hear what I hear
Repeating the same question for emphasis
A song, a song, high above the trees
Describing the sound as a song and where it can be heard
With a voice as big as the sea
Further describing the unique quality of the sound
Said the shepherd boy to the mighty king,
Indicating that the boy is now speaking to the king
Do you know what I know
Asking if the king knows something
In your palace warm, mighty king,
Describing where the king is located
Do you know what I know
Repeating the same question for emphasis
A Child, a child shivers in the cold
Describing a child in need and their current condition
Let us bring him silver and gold
Proposing a plan to help the child
Let us bring him silver and gold
Repeating the plan for emphasis
The Child, the Child, sleeping in the night
Referring to the child and their location
He will bring us goodness and light
Predicting that the child will bring positive things to the world
Everyone, come together
Addressing all listeners and calling for unity
Pray together, stay together
Encouraging listeners to pray and unite
Celebrate the coming other king
Celebrating the arrival of Jesus Christ
All my sisters, all my brothers
Addressing all listeners as family
Come together, love one another
Encouraging listeners to love and unite
Join me now, every voice and sing
Requesting that all listeners participate in singing
Do You Hear What I Hear?
Finishing with the initial question, and a call to listen for something special.
Lyrics © DistroKid, REGENT MUSIC CORPORATION
Written by: Noel Regney, Gloria Shayne
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind