When I'm Gone

Album: His + Hers (2012)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This Sandy Lawrence penned ballad finds Joey Feek singing of a dying wife reassuring her husband that he'll be okay when she's gone. "I was devastated, absolutely devastated when I heard it and what it meant and coming from the person who is leaving their loved one," Joey told The Boot regarding the song. "That concept was just something that I had never heard or thought of before, and it really struck me."
  • Sandy Lawrence is a friend of Joey and Rory's. The songwriter, who has never had a cut recorded before, wrote the track when she was losing her mother. "She was watching her mother pass, and she was so badly needing her mother to tell her those words," Joey explained. "She needed affirmation that everything was going to be okay after her mom died and she wasn't able to get it from her, but she wanted to write this to leave to her son and to her husband and to let them know that if anything were to ever happen, everything is going to be okay when I'm gone."

    "When we recorded it, it was just magical," he added. "She came in while we were recording it in the studio and then I had her sing the harmony vocals on it with Rory and then when we shot the music video, it just seemed so fitting that she played the piano."
  • In November 2015, Rory announced that Joey had terminal cancer and they were stopping all treatment. Following the disclosure of the diagnosis, fans of the duo started campaigning to get this song to the top of the iTunes charts.

Comments: 1

  • Sheila from MissouriMy dad is in Heaven.
    My husband is in Heaven.
    I play this video often.
    This video is a comfort to me.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Jon Foreman of Switchfoot

Jon Foreman of SwitchfootSongwriter Interviews

Switchfoot's frontman and main songwriter on what inspires the songs and how he got the freedom to say exactly what he means.

Bands Named After Real People (Who Aren't In The Band)

Bands Named After Real People (Who Aren't In The Band)Song Writing

How a gym teacher, a janitor, and a junkie became part of some very famous band names.

Tony Joe White

Tony Joe WhiteSongwriter Interviews

The writer of "Rainy Night in Georgia" and "Polk Salad Annie" explains how he cooks up his Louisiana swamp rock.

Cheerleaders In Music Videos

Cheerleaders In Music VideosSong Writing

It started with a bouncy MTV classic. Nirvana and MCR made them scary, then Gwen, Avril and Madonna put on the pom poms.

Spooner Oldham

Spooner OldhamSongwriter Interviews

His keyboard work helped define the Muscle Shoals sound and make him an integral part of many Neil Young recordings. Spooner is also an accomplished songwriter, whose hits include "I'm Your Puppet" and "Cry Like A Baby."

Into The Great Wide Open: Made-up Musicians

Into The Great Wide Open: Made-up MusiciansSong Writing

Eddie (played by Johnny Depp in the video) found fame fleeting, but Chuck Berry's made-up musician fared better.