Songfacts®:

• The first single from American Idol season 8 finalist Danny Gokey's second album was penned by Cary Barlowe, Shane Stevens and Josh Kear. Barlowe and Stevens write in both the Christian Contemporary genre (TobyMac's "Tonight") and Country/Pop Lady Antebellum's "American Honey"). Nashville songwriter Josh Kear's credits include "Need You Now" for Lady Antebellum and Carrie Underwood's "Before He Cheats."
• Gokey's personal story of losing his wife, Sophia, four weeks before auditioning for American Idol seems to be reflected in the tune, so it was no surprise that he was drawn to its message. "I like to talk about songs that carry a lot of experience," he admitted to The Boot. "To me, it carries a lot of meaning. 'Second Hand Heart' talks about how people have been in relationships. Basically, it's the guy saying to the girl, 'I've got wounds, I've got scars and I'm not perfect, I have a second-hand heart. It knows a lot more than in past relationships, because it's learned a lot more and it knows what it likes now. I want to take this second-hand heart and give it to you, and give more than it's given anyone else.' It's like looking at a pair of jeans at a second-hand store, it's been used. The song title is very clever."