About the song
“Three Wooden Crosses” is a poignant and evocative song performed by American country music legend Randy Travis. Released in November 2002 as part of his album *Rise and Shine*, this song marks a significant moment in Travis’s career, becoming his 16th and final Number One hit on the country charts. It also stands out as his first chart-topping single since “Whisper My Name” in 1994.
Written by Kim Williams and Doug Johnson, “Three Wooden Crosses” has been widely celebrated for its compelling narrative and emotional depth. The song received numerous accolades, including the Country Music Association’s Song of the Year award in 2003 and a Dove Award from the Gospel Music Association as Country Song of the Year in 2004.
The song unfolds a powerful story involving four passengers on a bus traveling from the United States to Mexico. The passengers include a farmer on vacation, a teacher pursuing higher education, a hooker, and a preacher who is dedicated to “searching for lost souls.” The narrative takes a tragic turn when the bus, which fails to stop at a sign, collides with an 18-wheeler. The accident results in the deaths of three passengers, and the song poignantly questions why only three wooden crosses are found at the accident site, not four.
Through its lyrics, “Three Wooden Crosses” portrays the personal impact of the accident on each passenger. The farmer’s legacy is his harvest and son, the teacher’s legacy is the knowledge imparted to her students, and the preacher’s final act is handing his bloodstained Bible to the hooker. Before dying, the preacher asks her if she can “see the Promised Land,” offering a glimpse of hope.
The song concludes with a surprising twist: the preacher who tells the story in the church service is revealed to be the son of the hooker. This revelation shows that the hooker, the sole survivor of the accident, kept the Bible and shared its teachings with her son, who grew up to become a preacher himself.
“Three Wooden Crosses” is a powerful testament to the themes of faith, redemption, and the transformative power of love and belief. Randy Travis’s heartfelt delivery and the song’s intricate storytelling make it a memorable and moving piece that continues to resonate with listeners.
Video
Lyrics
A farmer and a teacher, a hooker and a preacher
Ridin’ on a midnight bus bound for Mexico
One’s headed for vacation, one for higher education
And two of them were searchin’ for lost souls
That driver never ever saw the stop sign
And eighteen wheelers can’t stop on a dime
There are three wooden crosses on the right side of the highway
Why there’s not four of them, Heaven only knows
I guess it’s not what you take when you leave this world behind you
It’s what you leave behind you when you go
That farmer left a harvest, a home and eighty acres
The faith and love for growin’ things in his young son’s heart
And that teacher left her wisdom in the minds of lots of children
Did her best to give ’em all a better start
And that preacher whispered, “Can’t you see the Promised Land?”
As he laid his blood-stained bible in that hooker’s hand
There are three wooden crosses on the right side of the highway
Why there’s not four of them, Heaven only knows
I guess it’s not what you take when you leave this world behind you
It’s what you leave behind you when you go
That’s the story that our preacher told last Sunday
As he held that blood-stained bible up
For all of us to see
He said “Bless the farmer, and the teacher, and the preacher
Who gave this Bible to my mama
Who read it to me”
There are three wooden crosses on the right side of the highway
Why there’s not four of them, now I guess we know
It’s not what you take when you leave this world behind you
It’s what you leave behind you when you go
There are three wooden crosses on the right side of the highway