Writer's Room - November 2026

THANKS BE FOR BLUEGRASS SONGS

It was more years ago than I care to recall, but I still remember my first “pitch to publishers” night in Nashville.

My sweaty hands gripped the lyric sheet wrapped around a state-of-the-art cassette tape. I joined other aspiring writers crowded into a conference room. A middle-aged publisher wearing a golf shirt and jeans sat behind a table that was weighed down by a massive black boombox.

After brief introductions, we passed in our tapes and waited for judgment to come. The guy beside me modestly told me he’d written what was sure to be a new Christmas standard. After listening to the verse and chorus the publisher played, I had to agree that it was a good song.

“Not bad” was the publisher’s verdict. “But I’m gonna pass. If country artists do Christmas tunes, it’s mostly the ones they write or grew up with,” he said. “New holiday songs face long odds. And the airplay window is so short that I don’t even bother with them.”

Then he picked up my tape. They say every songwriter has two favorite songs:  “Yesterday” . . . and the one they wrote yesterday. So naturally . . . that tape held the latest song I’d written.

“What’cha got?” the publisher said.

 “It’s uh . . . a Thanksgiving song,” I admitted.

He shook his head, ejected the tape before playing a note, and asked, “What else you got?”

Much like the old TV insurance salesman, I’ve learned a thing or two about pitching since then because I’ve seen a thing or two. But I’ve also been glad to find that Bluegrass publishers, pickers and listeners are open to tunes beyond commercial country playlists.

Songs of Gratitude and Celebration

Songs that feel right for Thanksgiving are well represented on Bluegrass and Bluegrass Gospel projects. While they may not have been written with the day in mind, they’re a good fit as we give thanks and celebrate family gatherings.

The attitude of gratitude is evident in titles that take on added meaning at this least commercial holiday. The Stanley Brothers ask, “How Can We Thank Him (for What He Has Done)?” For many in Bluegrass, the response is to put those thoughts into lyrics and melodies.

“Thank God” and “Thank You Dear God” are songs of gratitude from Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver, while Becky Buller and The Isaacs address the Lord with their own reasons to say, “Thank You.” 

Some variation of “I (Just Want To) Thank You Lord” is the title of songs by Paul Williams and the Victory Trio, Larry Sparks, The Marshall Family, and The Rarely Heard. 

“Thankful” by the Louvin Brothers (and a great cover of that song by Larry Stephenson) express appreciation for everyday blessings as well as the faith that helps us get through hard times.

Donna Ulisse’s “My Constant Savior” also is inspired by the miracles of each new day and thanks a Heavenly Father who is “Steady as sunrise with every tomorrow/My constant Savior and merciful Lord.”

In The Grascals’ song called “Thankful” (written by Daryl Mosley and Rick Lang), the singer says his old truck and humble home may not be much to look at. But he realizes the real wealth of family and friends and tells the Lord, “When I count my blessings, I lose track/There’s no way I could ever pay You back/But I’m thankful.” 

Several songs show appreciation to family. Brush Arbor sings “Thank You Mom and Daddy,” just as Ricky Skaggs tells his parents, “Thanks Again.” That heartfelt song penned by Jim Rushing is among my favorites (“Your car for the prom, your letters in ‘Nam/But most of all Daddy, for marrying Mom/To my beautiful lifelong friends/Hey, Mom and Daddy . . . Thanks again.”)

Other songs express gratitude for what could be more than chance encounters that helped turn someone’s life around. Karen Peck and New River’s recording of “I Want To Thank You” is a good example.

The singer acknowledges “The guy who left the pamphlet on the midnight Greyhound bus/That asked me if I knew where I was going/To the late night TV preacher when I couldn’t sleep a wink/Reminding me there’s peace for all who know Him . . .” The song, written by Jerry Salley and Rusty Golden, also was recorded by Salley.

Over The River and . . . 

Taking us back to grade school assembly programs, “Over The River and Through The Woods” has received the Bluegrass treatment. Phil Rosenthal and Family sing this saga of early Thanksgiving travel, while The Smoky Mountain Band has a grassy instrumental.

For my own kids, the assembly highlight was always “The Turkey Shot Out of the Oven,” a teacher’s update of “My Bonnie Lies Over The Ocean,” that documents the kitchen disasters of a first-time Thanksgiving cook.

“Thanksgiving Prayer” could be a great prospect for a full-on Bluegrass interpretation. Johnny Cash introduced this seasonal love song when he portrayed a reformed outlaw in the 1990s television series, “Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman.”

To June Carter Cash, his real-life wife and on-screen love in the show, The Man in Black sang, “I’m thankful for all that you gave me/For teaching me what love can do/And Thanksgiving Day for the rest of my life/I’m thanking the Lord He made you.” 

Finally, I want to wish all readers of The Bluegrass Standard a Happy Thanksgiving . . . and share these lyrics from “The Thanksgiving Song,” written by Ben Rector and recorded by The Petersons:   

“Funny how this all looks different/But it feels the same.

Like how life never stops changing/But some things never change.

So, fill your plate and fill your drink/And fill this house with family,The kind of love that all these years can't wash away.

'Cause the older that I get/I see that life is short and bittersweet.Thank God for this Thanksgiving Day.”