Tim McGraw Releases Recorded Version of ‘It Wasn’t His Child’

After performing a cover of Skip Ewing’s “It Wasn’t His Child” on the CMA Country Christmas special, Tim McGraw has released a recorded version of the song, sharing it with fans on Friday. The acoustic arrangement lets McGraw’s voice take center stage as he sings, telling the story of Joseph raising Jesus as his son even though he wasn’t his biological father.

“It’s been a crazy year and we’ve worked hard to put out music, knowing how much it can mean and provide solace in difficult times,” McGraw said in a statement. “This is our final chance to thank everyone for sticking with us this year and more importantly, provide some Christmas spirit to you this holiday season.”

“It Wasn’t His Child” was first released by Ewing in 1989 and has since been covered by multiple artists. McGraw first performed the song at the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, Norway and most recently performed it on CMA Country Christmas, taking a seat on a stool on the show’s home-inspired set. CMA Country Christmas will re-air on Dec. 21 at 10 p.m. ET on ABC.

“I’m performing ‘It Wasn’t His Child,’ it was written by Skip Ewing, who I’m a big fan of and I’ve known this song, gosh, since the late ’80s I guess,” he told the Country Music Association ahead of his performance. “I’ve performed it several times at Christmas because it’s always one of my go-to Christmas songs to perform and I always love it. I love the message of what it says and the story behind it. Just so well written, Skip’s a great writer.”

The Louisiana native is currently prepping for Christmas at his house, recently showing fans his incredibly tall Christmas tree. McGraw shared a series of photos of himself perched atop a multi-story ladder putting the finishing touches on a multi-story tree, which stands in an alcove of his and wife Faith Hill’s home. “A: Santa’s lead flying reindeer B: wife trying to get rid of me before Christmas,” he joked in his caption.

“Be careful up there!!” implored Rita Wilson. Brad Paisley commented, “Um, in like 2 minutes you need to do one of those ‘how it started/how it’s going’ posts from the ER.”