God Moves the Pen

Album: Here on Earth (Ultimate Edition) (2021)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This rambling song celebrates the power of words as a way of demonstrating to someone that you love them. Tim McGraw released the James Slater and Tony Lane penned tune as the lead single from his Here on Earth Ultimate Edition album.
  • McGraw starts of the song by name-checking two wordsmiths from different centuries, both known for the lasting power of their words: William Shakespeare and Hank Williams. The singer continues to illustrate how such simple messages as "I heart Jenny" written on an overpass communicate love. He concludes poetically in the chorus that:

    Love moves the heart
    God moves the pen


    "'God Moves the Pen' is just a cool song," McGraw told Apple Music. "It has that shuffle that I love and it's so clever in how it's written. It's that idea that something bigger is moving us through life. We're doing our best version of love down here, the best way we know how, but God's providing the inspiration behind it."
  • James Slater also co-wrote "God Whispered Your Name," which has a similar theme of the connection between love and divine power.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Director Wes Edwards ("Drunk on a Plane")

Director Wes Edwards ("Drunk on a Plane")Song Writing

Wes Edwards takes us behind the scenes of videos he shot for Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley and Chase Bryant. The train was real - the airplane was not.

Neal Smith - "I'm Eighteen"

Neal Smith - "I'm Eighteen"They're Playing My Song

With the band in danger of being dropped from their label, Alice Cooper drummer Neal Smith co-wrote the song that started their trek from horror show curiosity to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Brandi Carlile

Brandi CarlileSongwriter Interviews

As a 5-year-old, Brandi was writing lyrics to instrumental versions lullabies. She still puts her heart into her songs, including the one Elton John sings on.

Greg Lake of Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Greg Lake of Emerson, Lake & PalmerSongwriter Interviews

Greg talks about writing songs of "universal truth" for King Crimson and ELP, and tells us about his most memorable stage moment (it involves fireworks).

Song Titles That Inspired Movies

Song Titles That Inspired MoviesSong Writing

Famous songs that lent their titles - and in some cases storylines - to movies.

Early Days of MTV

Early Days of MTVFact or Fiction

If you can recall the days when MTV played videos, you know that there are lots of stories to tell. See if you can spot the real ones.