We've got the Story Behind the Song 'Three Wooden Crosses'

When songwriter Doug Johnson played a verse and the first line of a chorus of a song idea for his friend and co-writer, Kim Williams, Williams looked at Johnson and said jokingly, "I hate you. Why would you come in here and play me something you just wrote?"

Johnson sheepishly said, "Kim, that's all I've got."

Williams replied, "I love you!"

The two proceeded to write a highly impactful song with arguably the best plot twist to date. The song went on to win numerous awards across multiple genres. "Three Wooden Crosses" was recorded by Randy Travis and released in 2002. In 2003, it was named Song of the Year by the Country Music Association and in 2004, won a Dove Award from the Gospel Music Association. It was also named NSAI's Song of the Year in 2003.

Bart Herbison, executive director of the Nashville Songwriters Association International, sat down with Johnson to discuss this song and his co-writer and friend, the late Kim Williams.

Herbison: "Take us back to this song. Do you remember that day in the room? Because this has won every award, including our Song of the Year award, because it's that special."

Johnson: "Kim and I did have a co-writer that day, I will tell you, and it was God. Kim was so moved by the first verse and the first line of the chorus that he said he wanted to go home and live with it all day because he thought it could be really special."

Williams had the line, "It's not what you take, it's what you leave behind that matters" and both writers agreed that felt perfect for the song they were working on.

DJ: "So once we tied that (line in), we probably had the song written in 45 minutes and then Kim and I both just kind of broke out broke down in tears when that bridge came out like it did."

What about the bus driver?

"Three Wooden Crosses" tells the story of four people on a bus that crashes. The song ultimately reveals the fate of those on board, with the exception of the bus driver. It's a situation Johnson and Williams discussed after they wrote the song.

DJ: "I left that write thinking, 'Man we wrote the perfect country song.' Kim called me the next morning and said, 'What about the bus driver?' We laughed and said, 'Do you think anybody would notice?' Cause we felt like the song was right. Well about a year ago, Big D and Bubba, the syndicated radio hosts called me and said, 'Hey, we've got a question for you.' I said, 'The bus driver, right?' My story was that the bus driver was Jesus and it was divine intervention."

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Inspiration far beyond awards

The song inspired the advocacy group Mothers Against Drunk Driving to further its use wooden crosses on the side of highways to mark where people had been killed by drunk drivers.

BH: "Back in 1982, a few days after a 17-year-old girl named Deborah Jablonski was killed by a drunk driver in West Tennessee, the mother of the teenager, Connie Outlaw, came to see me about forming the second chapter in Tennessee of an organization called Mothers Against Drunk Drivers."

DJ: "I've had more preachers and Rabbis send notes saying, 'I did a sermon on this song.' It actually looks like there's going to be a movie made based on the song."

BH: "I do want to, with your permission, dedicate this episode to Deborah Jablonski and her family, because it really inspired her mother to change lives. And you still see those crosses all across America. And they are stark reminders of what can happen. And so is this song."

About the series

In partnership with Nashville Songwriters Association International, the "Story Behind the Song" video interview series features Nashville-connected songwriters discussing one of their compositions. For full video interviews with all our subjects, visit www.tennessean.com/music.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Writers broke down in tears as this song came together