Hear Chris Stapleton’s ‘Maggie’s Song,’ Tribute to His Late Dog

Chris Stapleton‘s new song about his late dog Maggie is a certified tearjerker.

The multi-Grammy-winner and his wife Morgane bid farewell to their beloved dog in 2019, when she died at the age of 14. Her death and memory, however, serve as the inspiration for the appropriately titled “Maggie’s Song,” in which Stapleton chronicles her life and final hours.

“Maggie’s Song” touches on such precious moments as when the couple found Maggie, abandoned in a shopping cart as a “fuzzy black pup,” and the playful relationship she shared with their five children while keeping them “safe from harm.” Stapleton then tells the story of the day of her death: On a rainy Monday morning, she couldn’t stand up and laid her head in his hand one last time.

“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,” Stapleton sings over a gentle melody that unites guitar and piano, with his wife’s soothing vocals supporting the genuine message.

“It’s all true stuff. There’s no embellishment in it,” Stapleton tells the Los Angeles Times, adding that he felt a wash of emotion while recording “Maggie’s Song.”

“That one was hard to sing. I kept crying through a lot of it,” he admits. “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.”

Starting Over was released on Friday (Nov. 13).