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.
No Future In The Past
Vince Gill Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've never felt so alone
tomorrow I'll wake up still lonesome
'Cause things haven't changed since you've gone
You walked out with angry words spoken
You're leavin' cut right to the bone
I'll pick up the pieces you have brokenFind the strength to go on
I still remember
How my love once held her
How long do old memories last
Why can't I forget it
Why can't I admit it
There ain't no future in the past
I still remember
How my love once held her
How long do old memories last
Why can't I forget it
Why can't I admit it
There ain't no future in the past
The lyrics of Vince Gill's "No Future In The Past" tell a story of heartbreak and longing. The singer, lying alone in the darkness and feeling more alone than ever before, is struggling to move on from a past relationship. The pain of separation is palpable as the singer remembers the angry words spoken during the breakup and the pieces of himself that were broken in the process. Despite this pain, however, the singer clings to the memories of his former love, unable to forget or move on.
Throughout the song, the singer questions his inability to let go of the past. He wonders how long old memories will last and why he can't forget or admit his feelings for his former love. Ultimately, he comes to the realization that there is no future in the past and that in order to move on and find happiness, he must let go of his past love and all the memories that come with it.
The lyrics of "No Future In The Past" are deeply emotional and relatable, tapping into the universal human experience of heartbreak and the struggle to move on. Through Vince Gill's heartfelt vocals and poignant lyrics, listeners are able to connect with the singer's pain and find comfort in the knowledge that they are not alone in their own struggles with letting go of the past.
Line by Line Meaning
I lie here tonight in the darkness
I'm lying awake in the dark, feeling lonely
I've never felt so alone
It's the loneliest I've ever felt
tomorrow I'll wake up still lonesome
I know tomorrow I'll wake up feeling just as lonely
'Cause things haven't changed since you've gone
Things haven't improved at all since you left
You walked out with angry words spoken
You left after saying hurtful things
You're leavin' cut right to the bone
Your departure really hurt me
I'll pick up the pieces you have broken
I'll try to heal from the pain you caused
Find the strength to go on
I'll try to find the strength to keep living
I still remember
I still recall
How my love once held her
How I used to hold her with love
How long do old memories last
I wonder how long memories can persist
Why can't I forget it
Why can't I let go of the memories and feelings
Why can't I admit it
Why can't I acknowledge the truth to myself
There ain't no future in the past
Living in the past won't lead to a better future
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Carl Jackson, Vincent Grant Gill
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind