The 30 Best Tim McGraw Songs, from Don't Take the Girl to Humble and Kind

What is Tim McGraw's most famous song?

"Live Like You Were Dying" is Tim McGraw's most famous song, a 2004 number one that won Grammy and CMA awards and spent weeks at the top of the country chart. "Don't Take the Girl", his first number one in 1994, "It's Your Love" with Faith Hill and "Humble and Kind" are just as loved.

Tim McGraw's biggest hits

1. "Live Like You Were Dying", 2004: the title track of his eighth album and his signature song.
2. "Don't Take the Girl", 1994: his first number one, a story song told across a lifetime.
3. "It's Your Love", 1997: his duet with Faith Hill, a number one and a wedding favorite.
4. "Humble and Kind", 2016: a number one written by Lori McKenna, full of advice for the next generation.
5. "My Next Thirty Years", 1999: a number one about turning thirty and looking ahead.
6. "Something Like That", 1999: a nostalgic number one about a summer romance.
7. "Please Remember Me", 1999: a tender number one written by Rodney Crowell and Will Jennings.
8. "Where the Green Grass Grows", 1997: a number one about leaving the city for the country.
9. "Just to See You Smile", 1997: a number one from Everywhere about selfless love.
10. "Indian Outlaw", 1994: the breakthrough single that crossed into the pop top 20.

Tim McGraw songs of the 90s

11. "Not a Moment Too Soon", 1995: the number one title track of his second album.
12. "Down on the Farm", 1994: a rowdy number two hit.
13. "I Like It, I Love It", 1995: an upbeat number one that also crossed to the Hot 100.
14. "She Never Lets It Go to Her Heart", 1996: a number one from All I Want.
15. "Everywhere", 1997: the number one title track of his fourth album.
16. "My Best Friend", 1999: a love song to a spouse and a popular first dance.

Tim McGraw songs of the 2000s

17. "Grown Men Don't Cry", 2001: a reflective number one from Set This Circus Down.
18. "Angry All the Time", 2001: a number one duet with Faith Hill, written by Bruce Robison.
19. "The Cowboy in Me", 2001: a number one about a restless streak.
20. "Real Good Man", 2002: a number one from Tim McGraw and the Dancehall Doctors.
21. "Red Rag Top", 2003: a top five story song about young love.
22. "Back When", 2004: a number one about simpler times.
23. "My Old Friend", 2005: a moving tribute to an absent friend.
24. "Over and Over", 2004: his pop crossover duet with Nelly.
25. "Last Dollar (Fly Away)", 2007: a cheerful number one from Let It Go.
26. "If You're Reading This", 2007: a song in the voice of a soldier, debuted live at the ACM Awards.

Later Tim McGraw songs

27. "Highway Don't Care", 2013: a hit with Taylor Swift and Keith Urban.
28. "Shotgun Rider", 2014: a number one on country radio from Sundown Heaven Town.
29. "The Rest of Our Life", 2017: the title track of his duet album with Faith Hill.
30. "Standing Room Only", 2023: a top two hit and the title track of his 2023 album.

Who is Tim McGraw?

Tim McGraw was born on May 1, 1967, in Delhi, Louisiana. At 11 he learned that his biological father was the baseball star Tug McGraw, a relief pitcher for the Mets and the Phillies. He moved to Nashville in 1989, released his debut album in 1993 and broke through a year later with Not a Moment Too Soon, the album that made him a star. Since then he has released more than 15 studio albums, sold tens of millions of records and also built an acting career in films such as Friday Night Lights and The Blind Side and the series 1883.

The story behind Live Like You Were Dying

"Live Like You Were Dying" was written by Tim Nichols and Craig Wiseman and released in 2004, the year McGraw lost his father, Tug McGraw, to brain cancer. The song, about a man who changes how he lives after a frightening diagnosis, struck a deep chord with listeners. It spent weeks at number one, won the Grammy for Best Male Country Vocal Performance and was named CMA Single and Song of the Year. Today it is one of the most requested songs for celebrations of life; see our celebration of life songs for more.

Tim McGraw and Faith Hill

McGraw met Faith Hill when she opened for him on his 1996 Spontaneous Combustion Tour, and they married that October. Their duets became some of country's most beloved love songs: "It's Your Love" topped the country chart for six weeks in 1997, "Just to Hear You Say That You Love Me" and "Angry All the Time" followed, and in 2017 they released a full album together, The Rest of Our Life, and toured as Soul2Soul.

Tim McGraw songs for a wedding

"It's Your Love" is the classic first dance, and "My Best Friend" is a close second. "Just to See You Smile" works beautifully for a slideshow, and "Humble and Kind" is a moving pick for a mother-son dance. For a father-daughter dance, "My Little Girl" is one of the most requested country choices. For more ideas, see our country wedding songs.

Tim McGraw songs for a graduation or a birthday

"Humble and Kind" has become a graduation standard, and "My Next Thirty Years" is a perfect pick for a 30th birthday. "Something Like That" and "Back When" suit a reunion or a nostalgic road trip. For more, see our graduation songs.

Funeral and memorial songs by Tim McGraw

"Live Like You Were Dying", "My Old Friend" and "Please Remember Me" are his songs most often chosen for a funeral or a memorial slideshow, and "If You're Reading This" is often played at military memorials. For more, see our country funeral songs.

Songs for Father's Day

Few country singers have written about fathers and sons as often as McGraw. "Don't Take the Girl" opens with a father taking his young son fishing, "Humble and Kind" plays like a parent's list of advice for a child heading out into the world, and "Live Like You Were Dying" will always be tied to the year he lost his own father. Any of the three makes a moving dedication on Father's Day; see our songs about dads for more.

Taylor Swift's song about Tim McGraw

In 2006, a teenage Taylor Swift released her debut single, "Tim McGraw", a song about a summer romance and the McGraw song that reminds her of it. It reached the country top ten and launched her career, and Swift later joined McGraw and Keith Urban on "Highway Don't Care".

More country artists

For more country catalogs, see our Brooks and Dunn songs, Reba McEntire songs and Brad Paisley songs.

A country song about your story

Tim McGraw's biggest hits tell real stories about family, love and living fully. A personalized country song can tell yours: their name, the memories you share and the moments that made them who they are. It makes a moving wedding, anniversary or Father's Day gift.

How to create a personalized country song

1. Choose a style from 14 genres: country, folk, acoustic and more.
2. Add their name.
3. Share three memories or details about them.
4. Review the lyrics and edit or regenerate them for free before any music is made.
5. Listen to 4 free 45-second previews and choose your favorite.

The full 3 to 4 minute song costs $35.99, or $40.99 for Premium with four full versions and editable lyrics. You get the MP3, a gift page and the lyrics as a PDF.

Give them a country song of their own: create a song and hear four previews for free.