Craig Morgan just released a new song, “The Mask,” which is especially timely during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Although the song, which Craig wrote with his bandleader Mike Rogers, was penned before COVID-19 started impacting much of the world, it’s message is more important now than ever, especially for the healthcare workers on the frontlines.
“This is a song for all of the doctors, nurses, and first responders that are out there putting themselves in harm’s way,” Craig said (via Sounds Like Nashville). “We wrote it a while back, before the pandemic, but I keep coming back to this song. I have to think that when they walk into the hospital, that it’s scary, because it’s a lot to deal with.”
The song, which says in part, “Cause when I get home and it’s late at night / No one’s around and I turn off the light / I cry and scream, and yell like a crazy man / I don’t have to pretend that I’m doing well / I can tell the world it can go to hell / It’s just me and God when I take off the mask,” seemed the perfect message to honor those who have put their lives on the line during the global health crisis.
“I can only imagine that, like all of us, they put on a mask, a brave front, and do everything they can to make their patients feel secure and confident despite the heavy nature of the situation,” he added. “This is for them.”
The Grand Ole Opry member just released his latest album, God, Family, Country, last month. The record includes some remastered versions of his former hits, as well as five new songs, including the poignant “The Father, My Son and the Holy Ghost,” written about the loss of his son, Jerry, in a drowning accident.
“It hurts. It’s the most difficult song I’ve ever written,” Craig admitted on the Bobby Bones Show. “I wrote this by myself. I say that. I tell people God wrote this song; He just used me and the pen and paper I had in my hand. I cried for four hours when I wrote this song. Still to this day, it’s very difficult for me to sing. But I do it because I know; I don’t just believe it now –– God has shown me and I know. I’ve seen the emails, I’ve seen the Facebook messages, the tweets, the Instagram posts, what this song has meant to other people.
“When it gets played by someone, and it becomes the most downloaded song of all genres …” he continued. “When we were on Fox & Friends, when we were on the Today Show, Kelly Clarkson –– every time we did that, every time we did an appearance, that song became the most downloaded song of all genres. You know when that happens, it’s impacting people’s lives. And that’s why I do it. That’s why I sing through the pain.”
God, Family, Country is available for purchase via Amazon