Three Wooden Crosses
"Three Wooden Crosses" | ||||
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Single by Randy Travis | ||||
from the album Rise and Shine | ||||
Released | November 11, 2002 | |||
Genre | Country gospel | |||
Length | 3:21 | |||
Label | Word Music/Curb | |||
Songwriter(s) | Kim Williams Doug Johnson | |||
Producer(s) | Kyle Lehning | |||
Randy Travis singles chronology | ||||
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"Three Wooden Crosses" is a song written by Kim Williams and Doug Johnson, and recorded by American country music singer Randy Travis. It was released in November 2002 from his album, Rise and Shine. The song became Travis' 16th and final Number One single, his first since "Whisper My Name" in 1994.[1] "Three Wooden Crosses" was named Song of the Year by the Country Music Association in 2003[2] and won a Dove Award from the Gospel Music Association as Country Song of the Year in 2004.[3]
Content
[edit]"Three Wooden Crosses" tells the story of four passengers on a midnight bus traveling from the United States to Mexico. In the first verse, we meet the passengers: a farmer on vacation, a teacher seeking higher education, a prostitute, and a preacher. Both the prostitute and the preacher are "searching for lost souls." The song goes on to describe a fatal accident involving a school bus and an 18-wheeler. The bus driver failed to stop at a stop sign, and the bus was hit by the 18-wheeler, killing three of the four passengers. The song asks why there are only three crosses and not four. There is no mention of what happened to the drivers of either vehicle. The second verse tells the story of three people who die in a train wreck. The farmer leaves behind a harvest and a son who will follow in his footsteps. The hobo leaves behind a dog who is his only friend. The lovers leave behind a love that will never die. When a teacher leaves, they leave behind a legacy of wisdom that they have shared with their students. This wisdom can live on in the students' minds and hearts, and guide them throughout their lives. The preacher holds up a bloodstained Bible and asks her if she can see the Promised Land. She replies that she can see the Promised Land, but that it is a long way off. The third and final verse reveals that the story about the passengers was told to the narrator by a preacher during a Sunday church service. As the preacher held the bloodstained Bible aloft, it is revealed that he is not the preacher from the bus, but rather the son of the prostitute. The hooker was the passenger that survived the accident. He reveals that she was the only one who survived, and that she was the only one who could identify the driver. The dying preacher gave the Bible to his mother with the request that she pass it on to her son. This Bible eventually led the son to become a preacher himself.
Critical reception
[edit]Deborah Evans Price, of Billboard magazine reviewed the song favorably, calling it a "beautifully written tale of faith and redemption." She goes on to say that Travis has never sounded better, "and his warm baritone perfectly conveys every nuance in the lyric."[4]
Chart performance
[edit]"Three Wooden Crosses" debuted at number 52 on the Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart dated December 7, 2002. It charted for 34 weeks on that chart, and reached number 1 on the chart dated May 24, 2003, giving Travis his sixteenth Number One single, his first Billboard Number One since "Whisper My Name" in 1994.[1] In addition, it reached the Top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (peaking at #31), making it his first and (excluding guest singles) only top-40 hit on that chart.
Chart (2002–2003) | Peak position |
---|---|
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[5] | 1 |
US Billboard Hot 100[6] | 31 |
Year-end charts
[edit]Chart (2003) | Position |
---|---|
US Country Songs (Billboard)[7] | 17 |
Certifications
[edit]Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United States (RIAA)[8] | Platinum | 1,000,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
References
[edit]- ^ a b Shelburne, Craig (2003-05-19). "Randy Travis Scores First No. 1 Since 1994". Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved 2008-05-16.
- ^ 2003 CMA Awards – Infoplease.com
- ^ Country Dove Award Winners - About.com Archived 2012-02-19 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Billboard, December 14, 2002
- ^ "Randy Travis Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
- ^ "Randy Travis Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
- ^ "Best of 2003: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2003. Retrieved July 13, 2012.
- ^ "American single certifications – Randy Travis – Three Wooden Crosses". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved July 30, 2024.