Three Wooden Crosses Information & Three Wooden Crosses Links at HealthHaven.com

"Three Wooden Crosses"
Single by Randy Travis
from the album Rise and Shine
Released	December 2002
Format	CD single
Genre	Country/Christian
Length	3:21
Label	Word Music/Curb Records
Writer(s)	Kim Williams, Doug Johnson
Producer	Kyle Lehning
Randy Travis singles chronology

"Three Wooden Crosses" is a single by American country music singer-songwriter Randy Travis. The first single from his 2002 album, Rise and Shine, it became Travis' sixteenth Number One single, and his first since "Whisper My Name" in 1994.^[1] In addition, it was named Song of the Year by the Country Music Association in 2003.^[2]

[edit] Content

The song describes a fatal late night bus accident, on a bus traveling from the USA to Mexico. The song describes four passengers, a "farmer and a teacher, a hooker and a preacher" as the song puts it. When the bus crashes, There are memorials to the teacher, the farmer, and the preacher at the roadside in the form of three wooden crosses. The song then recounts how each earned their memorial through their services to the community. At this point in the song the singer questions why there is not a fourth cross, as a memorial to the prostitute, until it is explained that the preacher, as he was dying, gave his Bible to the prostitute. The song concludes with the revelation that story was told to the singer by the son of the prostitute involved in the crash. He was raised as a Christian by his former-prostitute mother, who read him the Bible given to her by the preacher involved in the crash, and eventually became a preacher himself.

[edit] Chart performance

"Three Wooden Crosses" debuted at #52 on the Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart dated December 7, 2002. It charted for 34 weeks on that chart, and reached #1 on the chart dated May 24, 2003, giving Travis his sixteenth Number One single, his first Billboard Number One since "Whisper My Name" in 1994.^[1] In addition, it crossed over to the Top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts, peaking at #31 on that chart.

Chart (2002-2003)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks	1
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	31

Preceded by "Have You Forgotten?" by Darryl Worley	Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks number-one single May 24, 2003	Succeeded by "I Believe" by Diamond Rio

[edit] References

^ ^a ^b Shelburne, Craig (2003-05-19). "Randy Travis Scores First No. 1 Since 1994". http://www.cmt.com/news/country-music/1471918/randy-travis-scores-first-no-1-since-1994.jhtml. Retrieved 2008-05-16.
^ 2003 CMA Awards – Infoplease.com

[cmt-0] Shelburne, Craig (2003-05-19). "Randy Travis Scores First No. 1 Since 1994". http://www.cmt.com/news/country-music/1471918/randy-travis-scores-first-no-1-since-1994.jhtml. Retrieved 2008-05-16.

[1] 2003 CMA Awards – Infoplease.com

[1]

[2]