Spirit of a Boy, Wisdom of a Man

"Spirit of a Boy, Wisdom of a Man" is a song written by Trey Bruce and Glen Burtnik. First recorded by Mark Collie on his 1995 album Tennessee Plates, it was later recorded by Randy Travis. Released in October 1998 as the third single from his 1998 CD, You and You Alone, it peaked at number 2 on the Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs) chart, behind "Stand Beside Me" by Jo Dee Messina.

"Spirit of a Boy, Wisdom of a Man"
Single by Randy Travis
from the album You and You Alone
Released	October 5, 1998
Genre	Country
Length	3:50
Label	DreamWorks
Songwriter(s)	Trey Bruce Glen Burtnik
Producer(s)	Randy Travis, Byron Gallimore, James Stroud
Randy Travis singles chronology
"The Hole" (1998) "Spirit of a Boy, Wisdom of a Man" (1998) "Stranger in My Mirror" (1999)

Content

The song is a mid-tempo backed primarily by acoustic guitar. Its lyrics tell the story of decisions a boy must make in his life and whether he should follow his whims ("spirit of a boy") or act with integrity and good faith ("wisdom of a man") when his high school sweetheart tells him that she is pregnant, and when he is faced with the temptations of life on the road after being married with a child at home.

Music video

The music video debuted as CMT's sneak peek video on October 7, 1998. It was filmed at the Los Angeles Herald Examiner office.^[1]

Chart performance

"Spirit of a Boy, Wisdom of a Man" debuted at number 53 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks for the week of October 10, 1998.

Chart (1998–1999)	Peak position
Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[2]	7
US Billboard Hot 100[3]	42
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[4]	2

Year-end charts

Chart (1999)	Position
Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[5]	67
US Country Songs (Billboard)[6]	51

References

1. Archived page of Randy-Travis.com from January 1999. Retrieved September 19, 2009
2. "Top RPM Country Tracks: Issue 7479." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. February 8, 1999. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
3. "Randy Travis Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
4. "Randy Travis Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
5. "RPM Top 100 Country Tracks of 1999". RPM. December 13, 1999. Archived from the original on 2013-10-15. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
6. "Best of 1999: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 1999. Retrieved July 7, 2013.