Toby Keith’s Heartbreaking Final Studio Recording Is Here

The late legend partnered with Luke Combs on a cover of a Joe Diffie classic.

Toby Keith’s final recording is here, and it’s a doozy.

Before he lost his battle with cancer on February 5, Keith lent his considerable talent to HARDY’s Hixtape: Vol. 3: Difftape, a collection of the late Joe Diffie’s biggest hits reimagined by today’s hottest country stars.

The album, which dropped last week, features covers of Diffie classics by everyone from Reba McEntire to Darius Rucker. But it’s Keith’s partnership with Luke Combs on “Ships That Don’t Come In” that has fans reaching for the tissue box.

The lyrics of Diffie’s 1992 track tell the story of two men at a bar discussing life’s difficulties. Instead of drowning in their sorrows, they choose to celebrate the fact that their lives were full of chances and they toast to all those who never got the opportunity to live theirs to the fullest. The song includes nods to service members lost in the line of duty—a meaningful topic for Keith, a lifelong American patriot and proud supporter of our troops.

Keith and Combs trade lines on the mixtape version, with Diffie's original vocals interspersed throughout. American Songwriter’s Clayton Edwards describes the result as “one of the most emotionally heavy moments in the 17-track collection.”

Diffie was a 90s country music star known for hits like “Pickup Man” and “John Deer Green.” He died at the age of 61 in March 2020 due to complications from Covid-19. Keith was only a year older than Diffie when he died of stomach cancer earlier this year.  Combs is the only living singer featured on “Ships That Don’t Come In,” making the cover even more poignant.

Hixtape: Vol. 3: Difftape is available now.

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