A decade ago, Toby Keith sat down with David Lee Murphy and Bobby Pinson to write a song called “End of the Night.”

That song never saw the light of day during Keith’s lifetime, but now, fans are finally getting to listen to it.

Did Toby Keith Ever Record “End of the Night?”

Ernest recently released an Apple Music-exclusive version of “End of the Night,” but that’s not all.

On Monday (Oct. 20), Keith’s team posted a snippet of the singer’s original demo to social media. “This lost demo has been found,” the caption reads.

Keith’s “End of the Night” demo is chicken soup to any country fan still missing the singer, who died in early 2024 after a battle with stomach cancer.

Its lyrics also offer a warm, comforting message of hope. “It ain’t the end of the road, still a whole lotta ride / It’s just the end of the night,” Keith sings in the chorus.

How Did Toby Keith’s “Lost Demo” Come to Light?

As part of the Apple Music release, the song’s co-writers spoke about writing “End of the Night” with Keith. “When they asked me about this project and said, ‘What do we have?’ it was like Christmas, you know? It was like finding a dollar in your pocket,” said Pinson, who says “End of the Night” has been a favorite of his ever since the three men wrote the song. Read More: 25 Toby Keith Songs That Show Why He’s a Hall of Famer “I always felt like, ‘Man, if we could just get this on tape, this would be more than probably [Keith] would realize it is,” Pinson continues.

Murphy, who’s also known for hits like “Dust on the Bottle,” remembered the writing session that produced this song.

“We were laughing so hard,” he reminisced.

“It’s always fun to discover a new style to watch him put his thing on,” Pinson agreed. “…It’s always a Toby Keith song when he’s done.”

How Did Toby Keith Die? 

Keith announced that he had been diagnosed with stomach cancer in June 2022.

He bravely fought his illness, taking time off for treatment but returning to the spotlight for a series of shows. He also accepted the Icon Award at the People’s Choice Country Awards in 2023.

Keith died on Feb. 5, 2024. He was 62 years old.