LISTEN: Vince Gill's 'March On' Supports Fight for Equality

In a new song called "March On," Vince Gill acknowledges carrying shame for how his ancestors treated Black men and women. The singer performed the acoustic ballad on CBS This Morning on Wednesday (Feb. 17), after a conversation about country music's race reckoning.

"March On" is an unreleased song that Gill indicated he wrote recently. In the first verse, he calls for "good trouble" and protest before a chorus that offers hope and encourages dedication to the cause.

"Preach on, brothers / Sisters, stay strong / Hearts are changing / March on, march on / 400 years of history / Couldn't be more wrong / A reckoning is coming / March on, march on," he sings. The performance and full lyrics to Gill's "March On" are below, though it's not clear if he'll release the song beyond the CBS performance.

Gill performed the short, songwriter's journal-style track with just an acoustic guitar during his television appearance, in the same location where he talked to CBS This Morning's Anthony Mason about country music's reckoning with equality. Of Morgan Wallen's use of the n-word, he said, “It was just sad. It was just disappointing."

"I knew that everybody was going to massacre country music," Gill added. "And white America, when they make the argument, ‘Well, I hear it in rap music all the time …,’ I go, 'Have you not been paying attention to the last 300-400 years, how that word has been used by the white community?’”

Maren Morris, Ryan Hurd and Rissi Palmer also appeared during the segment.

Vince Gill, "March On" Lyrics:

Get on board children / We're runnin' outta time / The world needs changin' / Both yours and mine / Need to cause good trouble / Peaceful like John / The day we're all equal / The struggle will be gone ...

Chorus:

Preach on, brothers / Sisters, stay strong / Hearts are changing / March on, march on / 400 years of history / Couldn't be more wrong / A reckoning is coming / March on, march on ...

You came here in shackles / Picked the cotton in chains / That's the sin of my people / And I carry that shame / God knows you must be weary / You've been dreaming so long / You built this country / So march on, march on ...

Repeat Chorus

Heed the words of Martin Luther / Lift every voice and sing along / A change is still coming / March on, march on ...