Miranda Lambert & HARDY Bring Nashville to Tears with Unreleased Tune, 'Dog Years'

Saturday night (October 5) was one for the dogs in Nashville as Miranda Lambert hosted a special benefit show, Music For Mutts.

While Vanderbilt football fans were storming their way down Broadway to drop the goalpost into the Cumberland River following their massive upset win over the revered Alabama Crimson Tide (no, this isn't a joke), a sold out crowd were gathered at Music City's Ascend Amphitheater to celebrate country music and their furry friends.

With a sprawling list of country music friends in toe, including Riley Green, Dan + Shay, Little Big Town, Ashley Monroe, Natalie Hemby and Lukas Nelson, one of the night's most tender moments came when country-rocker HARDY emerged on the stage to sing his fabled, unreleased tune, 'Dog Years.'

Something of legend over the last decade, HARDY wrote the tear-inducing song back in 2013 and credits it for landing him his very first publishing deal, paving the way for the award-winning songwriter that he's become today.

"I owe a lot to this song," HARDY noted before breaking off into the tune. "What an honor it is to play it for you guys tonight and with you, Miranda."

Adding in her pitch-perfect harmonies throughout, the fully acoustic song tells the story of a dog's life from the four-legged friend's perspective. From getting picked up on the side of the road to being given a second chance at life, full of adventures, love and plenty of head scratches, 'Dog Years' chronicles the pups journey all the way to going over the rainbow bridge.

"That was the best life I could ask for / Bruises and cuts covered in mud / Feet up on the dashboard, picking up girls / Not a worry in the world but you and me / We make a good team / You took me in when I didn't have a prayer / That was the best life I could ask for now that I'm looking back on those dog years," the pair crooned, effectively bringing the whole crowd to a hush.

It was a more than fitting offering for the evening, whose proceeds went to Lambert's MuttNation Foundation, which was launched in 2009 and has raised over $10 million in its lifetime thus far.

Serving to promote the adoption of shelter pets, advance spay & neuter and educate the public about the benefits of these actions, MuttNation also works with transport partners to assist and relocate animals during times of natural disaster, such as the recent devastation caused by Hurricane Helene.

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