Stephen Wilson Jr. Reveals The Heartbreaking Reason Tim McGraw’s “Don’t Take The Girl” Sparked His Love For Songwriting

The power of songwriting.

One of the best things to come out of the 2025 CMA Awards has been seeing so many people discover Stephen Wilson Jr. for the first time.

The relative newcomer who describes his sound as “Death Cab for Country” delivered one of the standout moments of the night with a powerful performance of “Stand by Me,” and since then it seems like he’s been one of the most talked-about artists in country music.

The 46-year old former scientist also has one of the most interesting stories in country music. He grew up boxing as a kid, following in the footsteps of his father, but fell in love with songwriting at a young age. He was briefly in a band, but then left and took a job as a food scientist for Mars, Inc. before finally leaving to pursue his career as a songwriter.

Wilson signed a deal with Big Loud and released his debut album søn of dad back in 2023. The album was inspired by Wilson’s father, who passed away in 2018, and showcases his talent for songwriting as he navigates the feelings of grief that come with losing somebody so important to you.

But as it turns out, it was another song about losing a loved one that inspired SWJ to get into songwriting in the first place.

Ahead of the CMAs, Stephen spoke with the Bobby Bones Show about the song that made him fall in love with songwriting as a kid, while listening to the radio on the school bus:

“The song ‘Don’t Take the Girl’ kind of made a mess out of me on the school bus when I was a kid.”

Yeah, that’ll do it.

Of course everybody knows the tearjerker from Tim McGraw that goes through the different phases of life with the common refrain of “Don’t Take the Girl” running throughout. It’s a heartbreaking song, especially if you’ve lost somebody close to you (I lost my fiancée a couple years ago and I still can’t listen to that damn song).

But it wasn’t a heartbreak that made SWJ connect with the song so much, though he did have his own heartbreaking reason for being able to relate to it:

“My momma kind of, had a bunch of issues. She was married to a really dangerous man at the time, my parents split up and I was really scared for her life. I was able to copy and paste her into that song.”

While the song had nothing to do with domestic abuse, Stephen Wilson Jr. says that it was because he was able to see his mom in that song that he realized the power of songwriting:

“That’s really what mystified me about songwriting, was like, that song had nothing to do with my story but I was able to copy and paste my story into it and still be affected by it. That’s the real wizardry, not just rhyming words. It’s being able to affect somebody’s heart so much that they see themselves in the song.”

What a powerful experience to have as a kid. And to be able to realize just how great a song is when you can relate to it even if it’s not your own story just shows what a brilliant mind Stephen Wilson Jr. really is.

I have a feeling there are big things in store for him, and I can’t wait to see what else he’s got in store for us too.

@bobbybonesshow @Stephen Wilson Jr. ♬ original sound – Bobby Bones Show

The post Stephen Wilson Jr. Reveals The Heartbreaking Reason Tim McGraw’s “Don’t Take The Girl” Sparked His Love For Songwriting first appeared on Whiskey Riff.