Eric Church unveiled a moving new song written in honor of his dad during a surprise appearance at the Grand Ole Opry on Saturday night (Dec. 10).

The country star was on hand to help celebrate his longtime friend Ashley McBryde's official induction into the Opry. The two joined forces for a rendition of her track "Bible and a .44," which the pair previously performed together during Church's 2017 Holding My Own Tour. Later in the show, he reemerged on stage with his acoustic guitar in hand for an unannounced solo mini-set.

"Man, what a night," he reflected before telling the crowd how he wanted to play "a new song nobody's heard."

The unreleased tune pays homage to Eric's father, Ken Church, and uses lyrical imagery to examine all their similarities, including habits that have rubbed off on him over the years.

"I wear jeans and boots, I drink not-light beer, sometimes I tell the truth or what you want to hear," he sang. "When I'm dealing cards, I always keep one hid. I like to buy used cars, cause my dad did."

After a round of applause from the crowd, Church paused again to reflect on memories of riding with his father inside his beige Pontiac before performing his Desperate Man cut "Hippie Radio."

"I remember as he would play songs, I can remember being in the backseat listening to him sing, and I would honestly bounce across that bench seat, window to window, playing air guitar and drums," Church explained. "And as I got older... I have two boys, and as I was playing [them] songs, I found that it was the same songs my dad used to play me."

It's unclear if Church has plans to release a new album or tour in 2023, but the country star has plenty of new projects already lined up. Last week, he unveiled further details about his upcoming bar on Nashville's Lower Broadway. Chief's is expected to open sometime next year alongside a string of bars featuring the namesakes of fellow country stars Blake SheltonLuke BryanMiranda LambertDierks Bentley and Jason Aldean.

In November, Church also announced the launch of Solid Entertainment, a new partnership between the star and his longtime manager, John Peets. The company will oversee the operations of the country star's companies and brands, including Chief's, his SiriusXM channel, Outsiders Radio, and his fan club, the Church Choir.

PHOTOS: Ashley McBryde Becomes the Newest Member of the Grand Ole Opry

Ashley McBryde was officially inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in a ceremony that took place during the live show on Saturday night (Dec. 11) in Nashville. Eric Church and Terri Clark were on hand for the festivities, which were held two months after being unexpectedly invited by Garth Brooks during a live television appearance.

Top 50 Eric Church Songs: His Greatest Hits and Best Deep Cuts

Eric Church’s best song fall into rows. There’s the sullen heartbreakers and the grateful lovers. There are the snarling social statements and buoyant bops. OK, there are only a couple of buoyant bops on this list of Church's 50 greatest songs, but they exist. 

He's been known to sample R-Rated burners and sage truth-tellers — and then there are two songs about murder. So, Eric Church’s songs fall into rows, but there are a lot of rows in his 15-year catalog. 

His best song? Taste of Country asked fans, staff and the industry to weigh in and then looked at chart success, sales data pop culture importance to choose No. 1 from No. 50. Songs with strong lyrical content rank high. Songs with creative production rank high. Songs with both ended up in the Top 5. 

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