Back in June, we reported that country music star Hank Williams Jr.’s 27 year-old daughter Katie had been killed in a car crash. Last week, on what would have been Katie’s 28th birthday, her brother Sam Williams released his new song “The World: Alone,” dedicating it to her memory.

Lyrics for this song include the words, “… Now I gotta go it alone/And I don’t know what I’m gonna do/ I was gonna show you the world/ Who am I supposed to show it to?”

Sam released a statement obtained by Taste Of Country saying that he wrote the song one year ago in a “state of manifestation.”

“I was in a phase of manifestation. I thought it would be interesting to take how my heart was feeling that day and compound it with my dream to tour Europe. I threw some cities into the verses and poured my heart out about wanting to show my love for the great world out there,” he explained.

However, the song took on an entirely new meaning after Katie died.

“As the months went by, when I would come back to this song, it touched me in a different way. I realized that I wrote this song, a year prior, about how badly I wanted to show Katie the world,” he said. “I had no idea I would ever lose her. One day, I had an epiphany that she is with God and can see the entire world now, without my help. I wanted to honor her with releasing this song on her birthday, because she was always so proud of my career.”

Katie was killed on June 13 when the 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe she was driving in Henry County, Tennessee crossed the median and rolled over. Her 29 year-old husband Tyler Dunning was in the vehicle as well and had to be airlifted to Vanderbilt University Medical Center for his injuries. Sadly, Katie was pronounced dead at the scene.

“I’m not sure about the rest of our lives without her, but I know she would want to bring the community together and there to be joy alongside the pain,” Sam said after her death. “She would want people to hold life preciously and graciously … I miss you so much my girl!”

This piece originally appeared in UpliftingToday.com and is used by permission.

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