Alan Jackson's "Mama Ruth" Reads from the Bible in the Intro of Country Singer's Beautiful New Song

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It's hard to listen to this powerful new song from country singer Alan Jackson and not get the chills.

The Georgia native originally penned "Where Her Heart Has Always Been" for his mother Ruth Musick Jackson's funeral in 2017, and the touching ballad now appears on his new album, Where Have You Gone. What makes this tune even more special? The start of the track commences with "Mama Ruth" reading the bible, before it cuts to Jackson's evocative vocals.

Per Jackson's personal website, the special addition of Ruth's reading was added to "Where Her Heart Has Always Been" after one of Jackson's four sisters discovered the recording. The first version of the song was already mixed, but they decided it would be a most special thing to include on the final track. "That was sweet. Towards the last few years, she had a scratchy voice. But she was just such a sweet woman, a sweet, sweet lady, so we had to have that on here," Jackson says of his mother reading scripture.

After the moving opening of Ruth reading from the bible, Jackson dives into an emotional first verse, singing, "The morning light was soft and low / The clouds had left an early snow / A peaceful sound was calling low/ 'It's time to go' / Then God reached out his tender hand and gently pulled her home with him / And brushed away the sorrow from her soul within."

The song then builds into the chorus: "And I could hear the roses sing / A bluebird softly claps its wings / The sun seemed brighter than it's ever been," Jackson sings, uplifting his listeners with each heartfelt line. "And now she's dancing in the wind / With her true love again / Where her heart has always been / Where her heart has always been."

Listen to the full song below.

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Where Have You Gone is out on Friday, May 14, and available for pre-order now. We know this is a record we can't wait to spin. Who's looking forward to hearing the full album in a few weeks?