Having a baby is one of the most life-changing journeys people embark on. You go from being responsible only for yourself to having a tiny person rely on you for everything. If you want to see how others have handled it, look no further than musicians. Here’s the best country songs about having a baby.
“There Goes My Life” by Kenny Chesney
Song year: 2003
Wendell Mobley and Neil Thrasher wrote “There Goes My Life,” which appeared on Kenny Chesney’s album When the Sun Goes Down. The song tells the story of a man facing his girlfriend’s unplanned pregnancy.
The song’s speaker thinks his life is over, but in time, he sees that his daughter has become his life. It speaks to the fear of not being ready to be a parent and shows how babies change their parents.
“You’re Gonna Be” by Reba McEntire
Song year: 2005
In Reba McEntire’s “You’re Gonna Be,” a woman sings to her newborn baby. The singer admits she’s just a person and will do her best as a mom, but she doesn’t have all the answers. She does have her faults.
The song is half Welcome to the World and half Prayer. It’s about understanding the responsibility of being a parent, even when you are still just a person.
“All-American Girl” by Carrie Underwood
Song year: 2007
From Carnival Ride, Carrie Underwood’s “All-American Girl” starts with the story of a man who dreamed about having a son. He was sure his wife was having a boy, but she gave birth to a daughter instead.
While the song does talk about women and girls being sweet and melting your heart, at its core, it’s about loving your children no matter who they are vs. who you thought you wanted them to be.
“I Saw God Today” by George Strait
Song year: 2008
From Troubadour, George Strait’s “I Saw God Today” follows the singer as he goes on a walk after sitting with his laboring wife and witnessing the birth of his daughter.
All of a sudden, the singer sees God in everything around him. His daughter is a miracle; creation is a miracle, and life is a miracle. It brings him back to being in love and awe of life.
The lyrics here are about not taking anything for granted, and certainly not the birth of a baby.
“One’s On the Way” by Loretta Lynn
Song year: 1971
It might surprise you that Loretta Lynn’s “One’s On the Way,” from a feistier time in her career, was written by Shel Silverstein, the writer most known for his children’s books.
The song tells the story of a woman in Topeka, Kansas, who has two small kids and is pregnant with the other. The singer watches glamorous, famous women living big lives and chasing their dreams while she’s stuck in the house chasing babies.
Fun but also bitter, the song is about the struggle of motherhood and how so many women felt trapped and too defined by it.
“Lady” by Brett Young
Song year: 2020
Brett Young’s “Lady” is one of the best country songs about babies that will make you reach for the tissues. Inspired by his own family, Young pays tribute to the two ladies in his life, his wife, Taylor Mills Young, and their daughter, Presley.
The song’s speaker is singing to his daughter, telling her about the first time he heard her heartbeat and how much he hopes she grows up to be like her mother.
This one shows how seeing your partner reflected in your child can deepen your love for both of them.
“It Takes a Man” by Chris Young
Song year: 2009
Chris Young’s “It Takes a Man” is another country song about an unplanned pregnancy. While sitting in his dad’s car, the singer’s girlfriend tells him she is pregnant and doesn’t care what he does, but she’s keeping the baby. She’s waiting for his response.
In the meantime, the singer is freaking out, seeing his life and the one he wanted disappear in front of his eyes. He wants to do the best for his kid, but he doesn’t know yet if he’s strong or mature enough to raise a child.
This speaks to most parent-to-be’s insecurities when the reality of having a baby sinks in.
“Two Pink Lines” by Eric Church
Song year: 2006
“Two Pink Lines” from Eric Church’s Sinners Like Me tells a personal story of a young man caught up in young love and lust and finding himself waiting for the results of his girlfriend’s pregnancy test.
While waiting for the lines to appear on the stick, the singer’s thoughts spiral into the future, a wedding, a confrontation with the girl’s father, and he thinks about the feelings that led them down this road.
Just as soon as he accepts that he might be about to be a dad, the pregnancy test shows that she’s not pregnant, and they go their separate ways. Even though neither wanted to have a baby that young, there is quiet devastation at the end.
This one captures what happens to so many people when they’re waiting to find out if they’re going to have a baby, worries and hopes for the future overwhelm you, and you already start getting attached to a baby that doesn’t exist.
“Anything Like Me” by Brad Paisley
Song year: 2009
Brad Paisley’s “Anything Like Me” from the album American Saturday Night” is a personal song inspired by his son.
The singer learns that his wife is pregnant with a boy, and he immediately starts imagining the future. He worries his son will be like him, a willful, dare-devil troublemaker. He realizes what a nightmare he was as a kid, seeing himself from a parent’s perspective.
But he also hopes his son does grow up to be like him. This one speaks to how strange it is to see a child with the same spirit as we had and know that while it will be a pain to deal with for a while, they will be stronger because of it.
“Lullaby” by The Chicks
Song year: 2006
“Lullaby” by The Chicks is a mother’s lullaby to her baby that captures what parents talk about when they talk about never having known love until their child was born.
The song’s speaker has a completely different life now as a mother. She was filled with love as soon as she saw her baby and knew she would love them forever. She also hopes her love will be there for her child through good times and bad.
“For My Daughter” by Kane Brown
Song year: 2019
Kane Brown released “For My Daughter” shortly after his daughter was born. Brown’s father was in prison, so he grew up without the love, support, and influence of a dad.
Here, he promises to be the father he never had. The song is a list of things he’s promising to do with her and for her. He’s committing himself to her here, for the both of them.
This song is about how much our parents affect who we become as parents. Sometimes we try to be just as wonderful as they were, and sometimes we try to make up for their shortcomings, to do better with our children, and in a small way, to make up for the childhood we didn’t have.
“The Mother” by Brandi Carlile
Song year: 2017
“The Mother” from By The Way, I Forgive You is Brandi Carlile’s song about her first child, Evangeline Ruth Carlile, but it is also a tribute to mothers and motherhood.
The song tells the story of putting your dreams aside, or at least revising them, when you are a mother. Your baby takes over your life, but they also give you other opportunities and a more profound way of understanding and experiencing life.
It also speaks about the fight to live and be who you are, no matter how hard it is to be a mother or how hard it was to become one.
“It Won’t Be Like This for Long” by Darius Rucker
Song year: 2008
“It Won’t Be Like This for Long,” off Darius Rucker’s Learn to Live, is a song he wrote for her daughters.
The singer begins by talking about the early days of having a baby when there is a lot of crying and very little sleep, and parents take comfort in the fact that it’s just a phase that will be outgrown.
Like that, the song cycles through the many phases in a child’s life and how they’ll all pass, but they all pass too quickly and too soon.
At its heart, this song is about being present with your child, no matter how hard their current phase is, because one day they’ll grow up, leave home, and not really be your baby anymore.
Top Country Songs About Having A Baby, Final Thoughts
Whether having a baby is a surprise, a plan, or a struggle ending in a precious miracle, many challenges and emotions are involved in becoming a parent or even a parent again.
Whenever you need someone to remind you you’re not alone or what you might have in store someday, the best country songs about having a baby will be there for you!