I Kept the Light On

The house got quiet after you went

Your boots still dusted by the door

I don't ask heaven where you are

I just sweep the floor

Your room stayed the way you left it

I never moved a thing

Even time learned to walk soft

When it hurt to breathe

I kept the light on through the night

Not because I knew you'd come

But fathers don't turn lovers

Just because the road gets long

If you ever lose your way

Or forget where you belong

You'll see it burning from a distance

I kept the light on

Your mother prayed harder than me

She said, "God counts every tear"

Now a chair stays empty

But a faith and still right here

Some nights, my hands shake holding scripture

Some nights I just sit still

Waiting ain't weakness, son

It's an act of will

I kept the light on through the dark

When hope felt almost gone

I learned silence has a language

That only love speaks on

If the world breaks your heart

Like it broke mine once

You'll know this house remembers you

I kept the light on

I don't need apologies

I don't need reasons why

The door don't ask questions

It just opens wide

I kept the light on every year

Through the winters and the falls

If you come back a different man

I still know who you are

And if God calls me home before

I hear you say my name

Tell him I waited faithful

And I kept the light on

The night don't scare me anymore

I've done my part

There's a lamp in the window

And peace in my heart