Song written by Steve Bogard & Jeff Stevens, was recorded by George Strait for the MCA label, was recorded on September 23, 1997, at Emerald Sound Studio, 1033 16th Ave., Nashville, TN, Strait was accompanied on the recording by: Brent Mason (acoustic, electric guitar and string guitar), Steve Gibson (acoustic guitar & electric guitar), Biff Watson (acoustic guitar), Stuart Duncan (mandolin and fiddle), Paul Franklin (steel), Glenn Worf (bass), Eddie Bayers (drums), Matt Rollings (piano), Steve Nathan (Hammond B-3), The Nashville String Machine (strings) and Curtis Young & Liana Manis (vocal back).With the production of Tony Brown and George Strait, the song It was launched on May 22, 1997.
On July 19, 1997, it reached # 1 on the charts of US Hot Country Songs, also reached number # 1 on the lists of Canada Country Tracks, on July 28, 1997, for two weeks in a row. It was the thirty-second number one in George’s career.
The song was included on the album of the same name, Carrying Your Love with Me (MCA 1997), the sixteenth studio album of the career of Strait, reached number # 1 of the lists of US Top Country Albums on October 5, 1997, and also was number one of the lists of Canadian Albums Charts. In the USA it was certified triple platinum, and in Canada it was certified gold.
The song is about a man who has to leave home for periods of time, although he takes his partner’s love with him wherever he is. Memorable letters include the opening line: “Honey, all I have is this battered leather bag, and all I have is not half full.” Another notable line is in the chorus that includes the title of the song, “I take your love with me, West Virginia to Tennessee.”