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.
Way Back Home
Vince Gill Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She couldn't understand why they were gone
She never knew the danger of talking to a stranger
Now the girl can't find her way back home
A little boy went walking down to the corner market
To buy a loaf of bread and an ice cream cone
He never knew the danger of talking to a stranger
Too many kids are missing, is anybody listening?
Won't you be the children's eyes they're all alone
The hardest part's not knowing
Where they are or where they're going
Won't you help the children find
The way back home
The faces on milk cartons thrown away and soon forgotten
What if one of those sweet kids was your very own
Tonight those kids are weeping while yours are safely sleeping
Won't you help the children find the way back home
Too many kids are missing, is anybody listening?
Won't you be the children's eyes they're all alone
The hardest part's not knowing
Where they are or where they're going
Won't you help the children find
The way back home
Won't you help the children find
The way back home
"Way Back Home" is a thought-provoking song that highlights the issue of child abduction, an issue that is still very much prevalent in society. The song depicts the pain and heartbreak of families whose loved ones have been abducted and never found, and raises concern over the alarming rate at which children are going missing.
The song opens with the story of a little girl who was crying for her parents, unable to comprehend why they were no longer with her. She had fallen victim to a stranger who took advantage of her innocence, leaving her unable to find her way back home. Similarly, the story of a little boy who went to the corner store to buy some items portrays the same sadness and confusion of a missing child.
The chorus of the song pleads with the listener to be aware of their surroundings and help to keep an eye out for missing children who may be wandering or lost. The bridge of the song echoes the sentiment, portraying the heart-wrenching experience and the lack of knowledge that parents and families experience when their children are taken away.
In conclusion, "Way Back Home" is a poignant call to action for the listener to be aware of their surroundings and to help those who are missing, emphasizing the importance of the value of human life, especially that of a child's.
Line by Line Meaning
A little girl was crying for her mama and her daddy
A young female child was weeping inconsolably for the presence of her parents in a particular location.
She couldn't understand why they were gone
She was unable to comprehend the reason as to why her caregivers are not available at present.
She never knew the danger of talking to a stranger
She lacked the knowledge concerning the risk that comes with conversing with someone unfamiliar to her.
Now the girl can't find her way back home
The female child is currently lost and unable to navigate her way towards her place of residence.
A little boy went walking down to the corner market
A male juvenile proceeded towards the nearest market situated at a street intersection.
To buy a loaf of bread and an ice cream cone
His intention was to purchase a particular type of bread and a frozen dessert resembling a cone.
He never knew the danger of talking to a stranger
He harbored no realization regarding the hazard posed by conversing with a person who is not known to him.
Now the boy can't find the way back home
The young male is lost and incapable of returning to his residence.
Too many kids are missing, is anybody listening?
Numerous minors have disappeared, do the people around them take into account their absence?
Won't you be the children's eyes they're all alone
Act as the eyes for the unnoticed children who happen to be on their own.
The hardest part's not knowing
The most challenging aspect of this ordeal is the absence of knowledge.
Where they are or where they're going
Determining where the missing children could be located, or in which direction they are heading, presents an immense difficulty.
Won't you help the children find The way back home
Please do assist the juveniles to discover the path leading to their place of living.
The faces on milk cartons thrown away and soon forgotten
The visages of minors printed on these cartons of milk are abruptly discarded and not remembered for long periods.
What if one of those sweet kids was your very own
Consider the possibility that one of the missing darling children might be your own offspring.
Tonight those kids are weeping while yours are safely sleeping
At present, those youngsters are crying while your own are slumbering securely in their own environment.
Won't you help the children find the way back home
Please do lend a hand to those juveniles to discover the correct direction to their place of living.
Too many kids are missing, is anybody listening?
Numerous minors have vanished, does anyone acknowledge their disappearance?
Won't you be the children's eyes they're all alone
Offer your help as guidance to the children feeling alone.
The hardest part's not knowing
The absence of accurate information is the most arduous aspect of this situation.
Where they are or where they're going
The location of the disappeared children or the destination they are heading towards is difficult to determine.
Won't you help the children find the way back home
Please do assist the juveniles to uncover the right path leading to their living place.
Won't you help the children find the way back home
Please do offer your assistance so that the minors can locate their home.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Vincent Grant Gill
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind