“HE’S NOT ASKING FOR HIMSELF — HE’S ASKING FOR HIS BEST FRIEND.” 💔🙏😭 Blake Shelton is leaving fans emotional with a powerful new song that centers on loss, faith, and one heartbreaking plea that many listeners say hits straight to the heart. The country star takes on the role of a grieving friend wrestling with an impossible question after saying goodbye to someone he loved. As the story unfolds, he turns to God with a deeply personal request—one that challenges ideas of forgiveness, redemption, and second chances.

Blake Shelton is begging God for forgiveness in his powerful new ballad, “Let Him in Anyway” — but not for himself.

“Let Him in Anyway” finds the narrator addressing God, trying to intervene on behalf of a friend who “was starting to listen” and “feeling conviction” after he brought him to church, but didn’t quite reach for redemption before his time on Earth ran out.

He still isn’t ready to give up on his friend getting into Heaven, as Shelton sings in the chorus:

“Hey God / I know you know what I’m about to pray, God / I just had to suck it up and say goodbye to my best friend / And I don’t ever want to never see him again / And I know the only way to get in is through you / And he wasn’t quite the Christian he was supposed to be / And Lord it ain’t my place / But could you let him in anyway.”

“Let Him in Anyway” is one of twelve new tracks on Shelton’s upcoming new album, For Recreational Use Only, which is set for release on May 9.

Hardy co-wrote the song with Zach Abend, Kyle Clark and Carson Wallace.

“‘Let Him in Anyway’ is one of the most powerful songs I’ve ever had the chance to record,” Shelton states in a press release. “Hardy is a co-writer and a friend, and I’ve never heard a song like this before. When I first listened to it, I knew it was something special. It’s an honor to bring it to life, and I’m incredibly proud of the record we made.”

The album also features Shelton’s current single, “Texas,” as well as collaborations with Gwen Stefani, John Anderson and Shelton’s longtime friend Craig Morgan.