About the song
There are few songs in the country music canon that carry the emotional weight and enduring grace of **Vince Gill – Go Rest High On That Mountain**. First released in 1995 on Gill’s *When Love Finds You* album, the song has since become a touchstone for mourning, remembrance, and spiritual reflection. Written in the wake of personal loss, it’s one of those rare pieces of music that transcends its time, genre, and even its original intent—becoming, over the years, a kind of communal hymn for grief and healing.
**Vince Gill** began writing the song following the death of fellow country artist Keith Whitley in 1989, but he didn’t finish it until several years later, after the passing of his own brother, Bob. That delay gives the song its layered texture of sorrow, love, and faith—it is not simply about death, but about the complex emotions that accompany loss: regret, acceptance, and the hope of reunion. And in **Go Rest High On That Mountain**, Gill manages to give those feelings voice with a tenderness that never drifts into sentimentality.
Musically, the song is grounded in simplicity—a slow, gospel-inflected melody, marked by acoustic guitar and subtle harmonies. But it is the vocal delivery that elevates it to something timeless. Gill’s high, clear tenor—tinged with pain, but also with conviction—carries the lyrics with both vulnerability and spiritual strength. The addition of harmony vocals by Ricky Skaggs and Patty Loveless adds a choral dimension that feels almost liturgical, as if the song were a prayer whispered to the heavens.
Lyrically, **Go Rest High On That Mountain** draws on the Christian imagery of eternal rest, speaking directly to the deceased with lines like *“You weren’t afraid to face the devil / You were no stranger to the rain.”* These words, while steeped in faith, feel deeply personal rather than doctrinal, offering comfort not only to believers but to anyone who has had to say goodbye.
Today, the song is a staple at memorial services, funerals, and tribute concerts—not because it is maudlin, but because it says so much with such sincerity. In a world often too hurried to pause for reflection, **Vince Gill – Go Rest High On That Mountain** invites us to stop, breathe, and remember. It’s more than just a song—it’s a companion for the quietest, most sacred moments in life.
Video
Lyrics
I know your life
On earth was troubled
And only you could know the pain
You weren’t afraid to face the devil
You were no stranger to the rain
Go rest high on that mountain
Son your work on earth is done
Go to heaven a-shoutin’
Love for the Father and the Son
Oh, how we cried the day you left us
We gathered ’round your grave to grieve
Wish I could see the angels faces
When they hear your sweet voice sing
Go rest high on that mountain
Son your work on earth is done
Go to heaven a-shoutin’
Love for the Father and the Son
Go rest high on that mountain
Son your work on earth is done
Go to heaven a-shoutin’
Love for the Father and the Son
Go to heaven a-shoutin’
Love for the Father and the Son
