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.
Which Bridge to Cross
Vince Gill Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A true love and one that's brand new
I'm not really sure that I know how
To love one and tell one we're through
I can't sleep at night, I toss and I turn
I keep losing sight of lessons I've learned
I'm standing at the crossroads with just one concernWhich bridge to cross and which bridge to burn
I knew this was wrong, I didn't listen
Cause a heart only knows what feels right
Oh I need to reach a decision
And get on with the rest of my life
I can't sleep at night, I toss and I turn
I keep losing sight of lessons I've learned
I'm standing at the crossroads with just one concern
Which bridge to cross and which bridge to burn
In Vince Gill's "Which Bridge To Cross," the singer is torn between two loves in his life. He has a true love that he has been with for some time, but he has also fallen in love with someone new. The lyrics reflect his inner turmoil as he struggles to choose between the two loves. He admits that he doesn't know how to love one and tell the other they are through, and he can't sleep at night as he tosses and turns, trying to figure out which bridge to cross and which to burn.
The song explores the universal theme of making difficult choices in life, especially when it comes to matters of the heart. The singer's struggle is relatable to anyone who has faced a similar dilemma, and the lyrics capture the conflicting emotions that come with such a decision. The singer is torn between his desire to follow his heart and his sense of duty and loyalty to his current partner.
The chorus, "Which bridge to cross and which bridge to burn," echoes the saying "you have to burn a bridge to cross it." In other words, the singer knows he must make a choice but is struggling to decide which direction to take. Ultimately, the song leaves it up to the listener to decide which bridge they would choose.
Line by Line Meaning
I've got two loves in my life now
I am currently torn between two people that I love.
A true love and one that's brand new
One is someone I have been with for a long time and the other is a new person in my life.
I'm not really sure that I know how
I am unsure about how to handle the situation.
To love one and tell one we're through
I don't know how to let go of one person and choose the other.
I can't sleep at night, I toss and I turn
I am stressed about my decision and it's causing me sleepless nights.
I keep losing sight of lessons I've learned
I keep forgetting the advice I've been given in the past about making difficult decisions.
I'm standing at the crossroads with just one concern
My main worry is making the right choice.
Which bridge to cross and which bridge to burn
I must decide which person to choose and which person to let go of.
I knew this was wrong, I didn't listen
I was aware that falling in love with someone new was not right, but I ignored my instincts.
Cause a heart only knows what feels right
My heart was telling me to follow my feelings even though it wasn't the logical choice.
Oh I need to reach a decision
I realize that I can't continue living in this indecision and need to make a final choice.
And get on with the rest of my life
Once I make this decision, I will be able to move on with my life.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: BILL ANDERSON, VINCE GILL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind