One More Call Before the War

[Verse 1]
Mama, you still up?
I can hear the TV low
Smell that Sunday pot roast
Through the crack in your hello
Dad’s on the other line
But he ain’t saying much
Bet he’s in his old recliner
White knuckles on his coffee cup
[Chorus]
So I just called to say I love you
I just called to hear you breathe
Got my boots there by the doorway
And a bag there by my feet
They say it won’t be long now
Till I’m boarding at the gate
One more call before the war
I didn’t wanna make you wait
[Verse 2]
Mama asks, “You eating?”
Like she always used to do
Laughs when I say “mostly”
But her voice is breaking too
Dad clears his throat and mutters
“Son, you make your country proud”
Then it’s quiet on the wires
Saying everything out loud
[Chorus]
I just called to say I love you
I just called to hear you breathe
Got my boots there by the doorway
And a bag there by my feet
They say it won’t be long now
Till I’m standing at that gate
One more call before the war
Didn’t wanna make you wait
[Bridge]
Mama says she lit a candle
By that picture on the shelf (mm)
Me in cap and gown and braces
Back when trouble felt like tests
Dad says, “Son, you watch your brothers”
Then remembers they’re at home
I say, “I’ll watch every soldier
Like I wish you could watch your own”
[Chorus]
So I just called to say I love you
I just called to hear you breathe
Got my boots there by the doorway
And a bag there by my feet
They’re calling out my number
I can almost see the gate
One more call before the war
“Don’t hang up,” I say, “I’ll wait”
[Outro]
Mama whispers that she’s praying
Dad just says, “We’re proud, that’s all”
I tuck their voices in my pocket
And I walk on with that call

country, Warm modern country ballad, mid-tempo band with brushed drums, gentle pedal steel, and fingerpicked acoustic. Male vocals, intimate on verses like a front-porch confession; chorus lifts with tight three-part harmonies and a simple, ringing electric guitar hook. Build subtlely into the bridge with a held organ pad, then drop back to almost solo voice for the last chorus line.