Jeffrey Steele, a Nashville Hall of Fame songwriter known for penning hits for Rascal Flatts, Tim McGraw, Keith Urban and others, has stepped into the spotlight with a new song called “A Voice” that aims to give ordinary Americans a platform to be heard; the piece grew from a vigil for Charlie Kirk and focuses on free speech, prayer, and community rather than political posturing.
Most readers won’t recognize Jeffrey Steele by name, even though his songs have filled stadiums and radio playlists for decades. This time he wrote and recorded his own song, moving from behind the scenes as a hitmaker to the frontlines as a singer-songwriter declaring that many people feel ignored and spoken over.
Steele describes the moment that inspired the song: he attended a gathering in Franklin, Tennessee, where thousands assembled at a vigil for Charlie Kirk, and the crowd swelled into what he called a choir. In his words, “They were praying and singing. Nobody could hear the speakers. As a songwriter, I write what I see and what I saw was a Charlie Kirk choir and it wasn’t about politics, it was about God and Prayer and love….and togetherness and that feeling needed to be represented in the song.”
He framed the track as a statement about speech and inclusion, noting that at the event “Charlie gave the microphone to everyone including those who hated and disagreed with him, and ultimately this song is about free speech.” That line anchors the record in a kind of civic appeal: it’s meant to amplify people who feel muted by institutions and trends that reward conformity.
I hope every time someone hears it, they’ll be inclined to help someone, be the microphone and help someone find a voice…say what others might be afraid to say.
The lyrics of “A Voice” read like snapshots of everyday sacrifice and frustration, voices often absent from political narratives: soldiers, farmers, nurses, cops, truckers, laid-off factory workers, miners, firefighters, and children separated from safety. Those images are stitched together into repeated pleas for someone to speak up, to raise the volume, and to let simple truths cut through the noise.
I’m the Soldier, I fought and died for you
Gave up my Life
To give you the Right,
to live the life you choose
I’m the Farmer, out here dying on the Vine
Trying to feed your Family,
barely feeding mine
I swear to God sometimesI wish I had a Voice
I would raise it now
For all the silent ones,
no one seems to care about
Speak for all of us,
Crank the volume up,
and let the simple truth cut through the noise
I wish I had a voiceI’m the Hero Front Line Nurse,
I give it all I got
They praised me till the day I spoke my mind
and lost my job
Third generation Cop,
proud to wear this Badge
But it’s hard to put bad guys away, with my Hands behind my Back
Wonder what my Dad would think of thatI wish I had a Voice
I would raise it now
For all the silent ones,
no one seems to care about
Speak for all of us,
Crank the volume up,
and let the simple truth cut through the noise
I wish I had a voiceI’m the Trucker, they’re phasing out
She’s a housewife, but you can’t say that now
I’m a laid off Factory Worker who’s Factory’s China bound
We’re the Coal Miners, Firefighters,
The Charlie Kirk choir all lightin’ our lighters,
Finally waking up, we had enough, of the Liars setting the World on fire
We’re the Children, crying out for help,
a million miles away from home who can’t speak for ourselves.Will you be our Voice
Will you raise it now
For all the silent Ones,
no one seems to care about
Speak for all of us, crank the volume up, and let the simple truth cut through the noise
Will you be
Yes I’ll be
I will be your voice
Musically the track leans on the kinds of melodic hooks and singable choruses that have defined Steele’s career, but its rhetoric is plain and direct: ordinary people deserve to be heard and someone must act as the microphone. Steele’s approach avoids jargon and instead opts for concrete characters and scenes that listeners can picture and relate to immediately.
The song is less a partisan manifesto than an appeal for recognition and dignity, framed in religious and communal terms that resonated at the vigil where it began. By turning the moment into a recorded anthem, Steele hopes to extend that feeling beyond a single event and into living rooms, pickups, and workplaces where people might need encouragement to speak up.
There’s a practical edge to the project too: the lyrics catalogue a long list of occupations and struggles, which is a way of saying these experiences matter and should shape public conversation. If nothing else, “A Voice” tries to push back against a culture that too often treats dissent or discomfort as something to be silenced rather than understood.
Steele performs the song with the same craftsmanship that produced country radio hits, but the intent is explicitly communal; it wants to rally listeners to act as the voice for someone else when needed. The record invites participation, not applause, and it asks people to consider what it means to stand up for those who can’t easily speak for themselves.
For anyone curious to hear the song, the performance is embedded here:
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