CURRENT SINGLE – “Undivided” w/ Tyler Hubbard
March is Women’s History Month, meant to celebrate women’s contributions to society, and one woman Tim McGraw will always celebrate is his mom, Betty. Tim’s mom got pregnant with him when she was a senior in high school, and ended up dropping out of school. As Tim grew up with his two sisters being raised by their single mom, he witnessed her going through a lot of trials and struggles, and he says, “I know how resilient my mom is and how tough she is and how strong of a woman she is, and how well she raised us under the circumstances.”
There is one memory Tim has of his mother that makes him emotional just thinking about it. In fact, he says, “I’m gonna get choked up, forgive me, but I can remember walking through the kitchen one night, gettin’ up late – I don’t know how old I was, 10, 11, 12 years old, something like that – and she had her head down on the table at like two in the morning, with bills everywhere and was crying.”
Choking back his own tears, Tim explains that was probably one of 100’s of times that his mom lived that experience that he never knew about, until that night. Another memory that will always stick with Tim about his mom happened when he was in college. “I knew how bad she wanted me to go to college. And I was in pre-law and I was gonna go to law school and do all that stuff,” says Tim. “I was a pretty good student, comin’ outta high school, and I knew how bad she wanted me to do that. And I remember gettin’ up the nerve to call her to tell her that I was gonna quit college and move to Nashville. And it took me a while to do that.”
Getting choked up again, Tim says, “And when I told her, she just said, ‘I’m surprised you hadn’t done it already.’ And that was her way of just telling me, go do it. So, you know, she … she’s a big deal to me.”
So, when it comes to celebrating the women in his own life for Women’s History Month, Tim’s mom would definitely be at the top of his list, for all the persevered through and all she sacrificed to give him and his sisters a good life.
Tim McGraw – memories of mom as a kid 1:38
“My mom found out she was pregnant with me her senior in high school. So, she had me young. She didn’t get to graduate because I came along. And then she went through some terrible things early in my life. So, I have a lot of memories of all those things and I know how resilient my mom is and how tough she is and how strong of a woman she is, and how well she raised us under the circumstances – me and my two sisters that all grew up together – how she dealt with all of that thing. But one thing that I really remember that’s plastered in my mind – and for her it was probably one of 100 times that I didn’t see – but I can remember us being on our own, my mom and my two sisters, and her working three jobs just to try to keep the basics in line. I mean, she made no money, really. But umm … I’m gonna get choked up, forgive me, but I can remember walking through the kitchen one night, gettin’ up late – I don’t know how old I was, 10, 11, 12 years old, something like that – and she had her head down on the table at like two in the morning, with bills everywhere (crying), and was crying. And she didn’t see me, but I’ve told her that story before and she didn’t remember it because she didn’t see me. But like I said, for her that was probably 100 different nights that I didn’t know about. But that’s something that really resonates with me and sticks out with me. And another thing my mom told me is, I was in college, and I knew how bad she wanted me to go to college. And I was in pre-law and I was gonna go to law school and do all that stuff. I was a pretty good student, comin’ outta high school, and I knew how bad she wanted me to do that. And I remember gettin’ up the nerve to call her to tell her that I was gonna quit college and move to Nashville. And it took me a while to do that. And when I told her, she just said, ‘I’m surprised you hadn’t done it already.’ And that was her way of just telling me, go do it. So, you know, she … she’s a big deal to me.”