Mammies rocking chair

There’s a quiet in the morning

When the tubes are humming low

Body tired, bones are shaking,

Another day I didn’t know

Doctors talk in measured numbers,

Some things they can’t explain

But I hear Mammie’s old King James voice

Saying, “Child, call on His name”

(Chorus)

So I hold on when the nights are long,

When the strength won’t stay

I remember how Mammie taught me

How to pray my way

If He carried her through sorrow,

He can carry me right now

I may be weak in this flesh and bone,

But I’m still heaven-bound

(Verse 2)

Wheelchair by the kitchen doorway,

Life support keeps time and breath

I’ve stared straight into the shadows

And made my peace with death

But there’s a promise louder than fear,

Written deeper than the pain

That the same God who formed my heartbeat

Still knows every vein

(Chorus)

So I hold on when the nights are long,

When the strength won’t stay

I remember how Mammie taught me

How to pray my way

She said, “This world is just a valley,

Not the home you’re from”

I may be walking through the fire,

But I ain’t walking alone

(Verse 3)

She used to hum those old porch hymns,

Rock slow and read the Word

Said, “Faith ain’t built on feeling,

It’s built on what you’ve heard”

Now when the pain tries preaching lies,

And my hope feels thin

I hear Mammie say, “Keep standing,

The Lord ain’t done yet, son”

(Bridge)

If this road ends in healing,

I’ll shout it from the hill

If it ends in glory,

Then I know He’s good still

Either way my soul is anchored,

Past the veil, beyond the fight

I’ll see Mammie in the morning,

Walking whole in perfect light

(Final Chorus)

So I hold on when the nights are long,

When the strength won’t stay

I lean on the faith Mammie planted

That still carries me today

If my body fails before my calling,

That don’t mean I’ve lost my part

I’ll finish strong on borrowed breath,

With a steady, faithful heart

(Spoken Outro)

There’s a rocking chair in heaven,

Waiting by the door

And Mammie’s smiling, saying,

“Child, you don’t hurt no more.”

(Spoken Ending)

I wrote this album—and all my music—during the hardest and darkest season of my life. As my illness reaches its final approach, I also believe a new beginning is drawing near.

I’ve been blessed beyond words by an extraordinary grandmother—my Mammie—and I know many of you have women like her in your own lives. I’ve also been carried by the love of my wife and a few close friends who stood when it mattered most.

If these songs echo after I’m gone, let them stand as proof that hope still breathes, even in the darkest places, and that no situation is ever beyond redemption.

— Kuntry H