Chris Stapleton's song about his family's departed dog is a real tear-jerker. The lyrics to "Maggie's Song" are something anyone who's ever loved and lost a canine companion can relate to.

"Maggie's Song" appears on Stapleton's most recent album, Starting Over. The lyrics detail his family's life with Maggie, who died in 2019 at the age of 14. Originally found abandoned in a shopping cart as a "fuzzy black pup," she became an irreplaceable part of their lives. The song ends with Stapleton recalling her final moments:

"I told her she was a good dog / And I told her goodbye / Run, Maggie, run / With the heart of a rebel child / Run Maggie, run / Be just as free as you are wild."

“It’s all true stuff. There’s no embellishment in it,” Stapleton told the Los Angeles Times in November.

"That one was hard to sing. I kept crying through a lot of it," he added. "I'm no authority on masculinity, but I don't feel un-masculine or embarrassed by having feelings. In fact, I think it's the most manly thing you can do."

Stapleton is slated to perform "Maggie's Song" on Sunday night (April 18) at the ACM Awards in Nashville, where he is also a multiple nominee.

The 2021 ACM Awards will begin at 8PM ET and will air live on CBS and be available to stream on Paramount+. Sign up for the streaming service here.

Chris Stapleton's "Maggie's Song" Lyrics:

Let me tell you a story / About an old friend of mine / Somebody left her in a shopping cart / In a parking lot for us to find / Just a fuzzy black pup / She was hungry and feeling alone / We put her in the backseat / Told her we were taking her home ...

Chorus:

Run, Maggie, run / With the heart of a rebel child / Oh, run, Maggie, run / Be just as free as you are wild ...

A few kids later / We moved out on the farm / And she followed those kids around / Yeah, she kept them safe from harm / And she loved to chase squirrels / And playing out in the snow / She'd take off like a bullet / Man, you should have seen her go ...

Repeat Chorus

It was raining on a Monday / The day that Maggie died / She woke up and couldn't use her legs / So I laid down by her side / She put her head on my hand / Like she'd done so many times / I told her she was a good dog / Then I told her goodbye ...

Repeat Chorus

I had a revelation / As the tractor dug a hole / I can tell you right now / That a dog has a soul / And I thought to myself / As we buried her on the hill / I never knew me a better dog / And I guess I never will ...

Repeat Chorus

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2021 ACM Awards Nominees: The Full List

Maren Morris and Chris Stapleton lead all 2021 ACM Awards nominees with six each and Miranda Lambert has five, including Female Artist of the Year. Thomas Rhett and Ashley McBryde will be up for four ACM awards on April 18. The CBS broadcast will award trophies for Entertainer, Song and Album of the Year, in addition to Duo and Group of the Year. This is a list of all ACM Awards nominations for 2021.

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