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Everything you need to know about the heartfelt, wedding-inspired 2025 single.
- Song Giving Her Away
- Lyrics“On any other weekend
At least one of us would be pulled off a road
Tackle box, cork dropped in a creek bend
Hand reelin' on a Zebco
But today, there's a line out the front door
A bunch of folks that we know ain't ever seen... - Artist(s)
- Released December 5, 2025
- Label Sony Music Entertainment
- Songwriter(s) Gary Garris, Josh Mirenda, Josh Phillips
- Producer(s)Luke Combs, Chip Matthews, Jonathan Singleton
The Background:
In November 2025, barely a month after dropping his three-song Prequel EP, Luke Combs treated us to another song teaser via his @lcombs77 burner Instagram account. Surely, we wouldn't be getting the track before the year was out, right...?
But no, Combs surprised us a few weeks later by confirming ‘Giving Her Away’ would be dropping at the start of December. It's a heartfelt offering that finds Combs reflecting on the conflicting emotions yet shared bond that a groom has with the father of the bride, as they both shed tears while watching the bride walk down the aisle. It's expected to feature on the North Carolina native's sixth album in 2026.
‘Giving Her Away’ serves as a heartwarming full-circle moment for Combs and songwriter, Josh Phillips. As the former explains in an official statement, Phillips used to sleep on his couch back in Boone when he was trying to make it as a country artist, so he jumped at the opportunity to cut one of Phillips’ songs now he's one of the biggest artists in the genre. It's not the first Phillips co-write that Combs has released, with Phillips having leant his pen to a couple of beloved Combs fan-favourites, including ‘The Man He Sees in Me’ and ‘Angels Workin’ Overtime’.
The Sound:
‘Giving Her Away’ is an intricate, piano-driven ballad, with Combs’ gravelly drawl coasting across the sparse, atmospheric keys throughout the soulful opening verse.
The song gradually builds out with the pining cry of steel guitar during the hook, with the ‘Forever After All’ singer-songwriter and his go-to production team - Chip Matthews and Jonathan Singleton - keeping things low-key and pared-down throughout, mirroring the powerful vulnerability and intimacy of the narrative.
The Meaning:
Combs sings from the perspective of a groom standing at the altar next to the father of the bride, as he reflects on their distinct perspectives ahead of this life-changing moment. He begins by joking that they'd both usually be knee-deep in some weekend fishing, with their tackle box and Zebco, rather than dressed up in suits.
‘Giving Her Away’ is full of powerful little juxtapositions, with Combs crooning, “Oh, yeah, she's your little girl / And oh, she's my whole world” and “Man, you brought your baby / I brought a ring / I'm givin' her my name / And you're givin' her away”.
This emphasises how this day will alter things for both men, but in vastly different ways, with the father bidding his daughter farewell, while the groom looks forward to a lifetime with her. It concludes with the bittersweet and deeply symbolic moment when the father lets go of his daughter's hand and places it in his.
What has Luke Combs said about ‘Giving Her Away’?
Ahead of its release, Combs recalled how the song started, “One of my good buddies Josh Phillips sent me this song that he wrote and I was just absolutely blown away by it. Josh has just been on an absolute streak recently with these songs that he’s been writing and this one luckily made it to my inbox. Josh used to crash on the couch with me back in Boone and I used to go down and play shows with him, so it’s kind of a full circle moment for me to get to record one of his songs and put it out there for you guys. I think it’s real special and I hope you guys love it”.
For the full lyrics to Luke Combs’ ‘Giving Her Away’, see below:
“On any other weekend
At least one of us would be pulled off a road
Tackle box, cork dropped in a creek bend
Hand reelin' on a Zebco
But today, there's a line out the front door
A bunch of folks that we know ain't ever seen
A fresh shine on our Fords
And us not in a pair of jeans
Ooh, yeah, she's your little girl
And ooh, she's my whole world
-
Only she coulda got us both in suits
Only she coulda got us out our boots
Fightin' back every tear that we both knew
We were gonna cry today
Neither one of us knows what to do
Standin' up in front of a crowded room
On a springtime Saturday afternoon
With both our lives about to change
Man, you brought your baby
I brought a ring
And I'm giving her my name
And you're giving her away
-
Yeah, I know it's gotta be tough
And you're happy but you're hurting behind that smile
You'll always be her first love
And mine's walking down the aisle
That song's about to play
We're gonna say, "I do"
And for the rest of my days
I'll do my best to fill your shoes
-
Only she coulda got us both in suits
Only she coulda got us out our boots
Fightin' back every tear that we both knew
We were gonna cry today
Neither one of us knows what to do
Standin' up in front of a crowded room
On a springtime Saturday afternoon
With both our lives about to change
Man, you brought your baby
I brought a ring
And I'm giving her my name
And you're giving her away
-
I'm saying I love you
And you're saying goodbye
You're letting her hand go
Putting it in mine
-
Only she coulda got us both in suits
Only she coulda got us out our boots
Fightin' back every tear that we both knew
We were gonna cry today
Neither one of us knows what to do
Standin' up in front of a crowded room
On a springtime Saturday afternoon
With both our lives about to change
Man, you brought your baby
I brought a ring
And I'm giving her my name
And you're giving her away”
For more on Luke Combs, see below:
