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.
Oklahoma Borderline
Vince Gill Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I got holes in both my shoes
Baby's put me on the street
She says "I'm through with you"
She thinks I'm gonna miss her
Someone tell her that she's wrong
I'm goin' back to Oklahoma, boys'Cause that's where I belong
I need one good ride
I'll be satisfied
Come on Oklahoma borderline
If we roll all night
She'll be comin' into sight
Come on Oklahoma borderline
Well now I don't need no Texas girl
Doggin' me around
I may be a Okie, son
But I've still been to town
Well those Oklahoma city girls
They always treat you right
Well tell mama that I'm comin' home (not sure of this line...)
And I'm leavin' out tonight
I need one good ride
I'll be satisfied
Come on Oklahoma borderline
If we roll all night
She'll be comin' into sight
Come on Oklahoma borderline
And my thumb stuck in the wind
When I cross Red River, boys
I won't be back again
Give me old back roads and truck stops
And 18 wheels that whine
And some good ol' boy to take me
To that Oklahoma line
I need one good ride
I'll be satisfied
Come on Oklahoma borderline
If we roll all night
She'll be comin' into sight
Come on Oklahoma borderline
I caught one good ride
She's comin' into sight
Hello Oklahoma borderline
The song "Oklahoma Borderline" by Vince Gill is a classic country song with heartfelt lyrics that tell the story of a man who has been kicked out of his lover's house and feels heartbroken, but ultimately decides to return to his roots in Oklahoma. The song is a reflection of the singer's own life, as he grew up in Oklahoma and had to leave home to pursue his music career in Nashville. Despite the difficulties he faced, he never forgot where he came from and always stayed true to his roots.
In the opening lines, the singer laments his current situation, with holes in his shoes and no place to go after his girlfriend kicked him out of her house. Despite the heartbreak, he is resolute in his decision to return to Oklahoma, where he knows he belongs and where he can find comfort in the familiarity of home. The refrain, "I need one good ride, I'll be satisfied, come on Oklahoma borderline" reflects the singer's determination to get back to Oklahoma no matter what.
The lyrics of the song are filled with references to the singer's love for Oklahoma and its people. He sings about the Oklahoma city girls who always treat you right and the old back roads and truck stops that he loves. The final lines of the song, "I caught one good ride, she's comin' into sight, hello Oklahoma borderline" convey a sense of joy and relief as the singer finally reaches the border of Oklahoma and is welcomed back home.
Line by Line Meaning
Well it's rainin' down in Houston
It's raining heavily in Houston
And I got holes in both my shoes
His shoes are damaged
Baby's put me on the street
His partner has left him
She says "I'm through with you"
She has ended the relationship
She thinks I'm gonna miss her
She assumes that he will miss her
Someone tell her that she's wrong
He feels confident that he won't miss her
I'm goin' back to Oklahoma, boys
He is returning to his home state Oklahoma
'Cause that's where I belong
He feels a sense of belonging in Oklahoma
I need one good ride
He needs a ride to Oklahoma
I'll be satisfied
If he gets a ride, he will be content
Come on Oklahoma borderline
He wants to reach the border of Oklahoma
If we roll all night
If they keep driving through the night
She'll be comin' into sight
Oklahoma will come into view
Well now I don't need no Texas girl
He does not need his ex-partner from Texas anymore
Doggin' me around
When she was with him, she was mean to him
I may be a Okie, son
He is from Oklahoma
But I've still been to town
He has been to the city
Well those Oklahoma city girls
Girls from Oklahoma City
They always treat you right
They are nice to him
And I'm leavin' out tonight
He is leaving tonight
So with two bucks in my pocket
He only has two dollars
And my thumb stuck in the wind
He plans to hitchhike
When I cross Red River, boys
When he crosses the Red River
I won't be back again
He has no plans to return
Give me old back roads and truck stops
He wants to travel the old-fashioned way
And 18 wheels that whine
He wants to ride in a big truck
And some good ol' boy to take me
He needs someone to give him a ride
To that Oklahoma line
To the border of Oklahoma
I caught one good ride
He was able to get a ride
She's comin' into sight
Oklahoma is coming into view
Hello Oklahoma borderline
He is happy to reach Oklahoma's border
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Guy Clark, Rodney J Crowell, Vincent Grant Gill
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@lespaul153
I'm japanese.
I love this song.
@delllee8365
He won the Grammy at least 6 Times for Best Country Instrumentalist !!! Very Talented !! Fun to listen to !!
@Smoke-1657
So many stories about this song. Lived in Oklahoma many years of my life, but born and raised in Georgia. Oklahoma is my home now in my heart.
@davidfoster4675
Unmistakable sound of a 50s telly . Well it looks and sounds like a 50s /60s one lol deffo an early one either way . Not a country music person but this is a catchy song . I came across Vince on YouTube never heard of him before and that’s surprising coz he should deffo be up there with the greats of guitar . Seen a list of the greatest guitar players ever and his name wasn’t on there . Deffo underrated . Same as prince . Although a different era and genre of music prince was another underrated guitarist . He was on the list but again not as high up as he deserved to be .
@FreidaSmith-y5o
Vince is an amazing songwriter, singer and fantastic guitar player!!he is a treasure❤❤❤❤
@whatiwasgoingtosay
It’s fun to see how far that solo has come over the years.
@MrCarlos1335
I KNOW IT TOOK A WHILE TO BE A RECOGNIZED COUNTRY GUITAREST ,NO EASY TASK, BUT YOU ARE ONE HECK OF A GUITAR PLAYER ,HANDS DOWN ,BROTHER YOU EARNED IT ,GOOD JOB,WELL DONE SON.
@jeremyhelm2833
Love this guy. His picking and ability to sound like pedal steel is amazing.
@brendamiller6334
He's sooo cute! LOVE his shoes!! That is one hell-uv-a piano player as well as Vince's guitar playing!❤
@guitarman4242
Vince Gill is way too unrecognized as being one of the premiere guitar player anywhere. A real American treasure