by Behind the gentle smile and signature cowboy hat lies a story that’s left millions of country fans speechless. In 1989, Alan Jackson was working as a mail courier at the Atlanta airport. He was married, raising three young daughters, and struggling just to keep the family afloat. Record labels turned him down. Bars ignored him. The dream was slipping away. But in the quietest act of love, Denise — his wife — took matters into her own hands.
She went to the TV station where Glen Campbell was working, carrying with her the last hope for their family. And then… a miracle happened. Glen Campbell agreed to help. One phone call was all it took. A few months later, Alan Jackson released his debut single: “Here in the Real World.” And when his voice — raw, sincere, unforgettable — hit the airwaves, America stopped and listened.
“Scroll down to the end of the article to listen to music.”
Introduction
If Alan Jackson had the choice, he wouldn’t come back as a king or a rockstar — he’d come back as a country song. And honestly, doesn’t that say it all?
Released as part of his 2012 album Thirty Miles West, “Gonna Come Back As a Country Song” is Jackson at his most laid-back and reflective. It’s the kind of tune that feels like a quiet chat on the porch with someone who’s lived a life full of love, music, and dusty roads. The song doesn’t chase big chart numbers or radio play — it just is. And that’s what makes it so deeply country.
What’s special about this track is how it captures the soul of someone who’s content with who they are — not flashy, not trying to impress — just proud to be part of the tradition. Jackson’s smooth drawl wraps around every line like an old flannel shirt, especially when he sings about coming back as a steel guitar or a jukebox tune in a smoky bar. It’s a love letter to the genre, but also a quiet declaration of identity: “If there’s such a thing as reincarnation, I’m coming back wearing boots and a hat.”
It may not be one of his biggest hits, but for longtime fans, it hits a tender spot. It reminds us that country music isn’t just about sound — it’s a spirit. And Alan Jackson? He’s always been one of its most faithful storytellers.
Video
Lyrics
Let me just say for the sake of conversation
Let there be such a thing as reincarnation
But don’t you go cryin’ for me when I’m gone
‘Cause I’m gonna come back as a country song
I’ll be playing all night in every honky tonk bar
In the middle of a fiddle and a steel guitar
I’m hoping when the good Lord calls me home
I’m gonna come back as a country song
I don’t have to say it’d be Heaven to me
Watching neon lights for eternity
So go ahead and put it on my headstone
Yeah, I’m gonna come back as a country song
I’ll be playing all night in every honky tonk bar
In the middle of a fiddle and a steel guitar
I’m hoping when the good Lord calls me home
I’m gonna come back as a country song
So here I’m on a stool tonight
And I’m practicing for the after life
‘Cause when I’m nothing but a pile of bones
I’m gonna come back as a country song
I’ll be playing all night in every honky tonk bar
In the middle of a fiddle and a steel guitar
I’m hoping when the good Lord calls me home
I’m gonna come back as a country song
I’m hoping when the good Lord calls me home
I’m gonna come back as a country song
