Exclusive: “Ships That Don’t Come In,” Joe Diffie, Toby Keith, and the Swear Word That Nearly Kept It Off Radio

Singer/songwriter Dave Gibson knew when he and Paul Nelson wrote Joe Diffie’s iconic ’90s hit “Ships That Don’t Come In” that it could be the best song they ever wrote.

The b*tch of it was no one would record the emotional ballad because of a single four-letter word in the second verse.

Lyrics included: We b*tch about a dollar| When there’s those without a dime

“Without a doubt, that line right there kept us from getting it cut by Alabama,” Gibson said. “I pitched it to Tony Brown for the Oakridge Boys back in the day. We pitched it all over the place. They were afraid. Nobody had ever used that word in a country song.”

Thirty-five years after Gibson and Nelson wrote “Ships That Don’t Come In” and 32 years after Joe Diffie made it a No. 1 hit, the song is back in the spotlight. Luke Combs and Toby Keith united to sing it for HARDY’s Hixtape Vol. 3: Difftape. The collection came out earlier this year, pairing contemporary country stars with Diffie’s voice on his past hits. Diffie died on March 29, 2020, from complications of Covid-19. Keith died February 4, the month before Difftape released.

“Nobody Had Ever Used That Word In a Country Song”

The Combs/Keith collaboration on “Ships That Don’t Come In” marked Keith’s last time in a recording studio. The song took the spotlight last month when footage of the recording session aired during “Toby Keith: An American Idol” on NBC. The televised all-star concert included Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Jordan Davis, HARDY, Tyler Hubbard, Ashley McBryde, Jelly Roll, Carrie Underwood, Lainey Wilson, and more. It was the No. 1 show among all competitors in total viewers.

The footage of a frail Keith making his way into the recording studio to sing drew gasps from the crowd at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena.

The songwriter said Combs and Keith cut their vocals right before Keith died.

“I just pinch myself that this has happened,” he said. “I’m just thrilled that Luke and Toby sang shit out of it. I’m very proud of their cut. I’m just like, ‘Wow.’ Maybe the good Lord will give me another No. 1 if they release it to radio. That’s what I’m hoping for and praying for.”

Gibson remembers that “Ships That Don’t Come In” was born from his first co-write with Nelson. The men were working on another song when Gibson stopped the process and told his co-writer that he didn’t like what they were crafting. Nelson and his brother, Gene, wrote Kathy Mattea’s hit “18 Wheels and A Dozen Roses.” Gibson wanted to write a song like that.

“I said, ‘I know you got an idea there in your book,’” Gibson said. “He reluctantly pulled out this idea, ‘Ships That Don’t Come In.’ And I’m like, ‘What? That’s, that’s killer.’”

Gibson said, “The good Lord” shined down on him. He started playing and singing the melody that became the song. Nelson already had a few lyrics in place.

“Ships That Don’t Come In” is One of Dave Gibson’s Six No. 1 Songs

He and I went back and forth for a couple of hours,” Gibson said. “We wrote ‘Ships That Don’t Come In.’ It was a gift from God.”

Gibson and Nelson were in shock after they wrote it—and after years of no one recording the song, they were starting to wonder if it would ever happen.

Diffie heard it, and Gibson said he loved it but was concerned the content was too serious for the reputation of Ditty Diffie he had built. At the time, Diffie was known for up-tempo songs including “If The Devil Danced In Empty Pockets.” Diffie’s producer, Bob Montgomery, asked Diffie to go into the recording studio and sing it one time. He told him they’d move on if he didn’t like it. Diffie loved it.

However, the swear word continued to be a problem on some country radio stations. Some lobbed requests for Diffie to change b*itch to “gripe.” When some country stations started playing the original version, they all followed.

Keith was so fond of “Ships That Don’t Come In” that he went into the studio to record it so near the end of his life, which is immensely meaningful to Gibson.

“You write songs and don’t know where and who they touch,” he said. “I can’t tell you how many memorial services and servicemen have told me that that’s their favorite song. That means everything to me. It’s not about the money. It’s not about the prestige. It’s about whose lives you touch.”

.(Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images)