01 He promised her forever, then he left her at the door With twin girls and a heartache she'd carry evermore She had her green-and-gold Sundays, her movies in black and white But when them grandbabies came callin', her card filled up with light First time all her numbers finally came up right
02 Then the shadow came a-knockin' with no husband at her door But she learned about her corner when we all marched off to war I hit my knees on that kitchen floor, told the kids, and prayed She could take the poison burnin', not the tears her babies made So she traded green-and-gold for streets the Lord has paved
03 We miss you, mama, every day But you're still here anyway In the candles and the cradles and the aisles still yet to come We saved your chair by the fire, till the Lord calls us home 'Cause love don't leave when the leavin's done
04 That leavin', Lord, my mama knew that same old song by heart She worked two jobs and night school in a single-wide after dark Put her own name on a diploma nobody hung for her Then Heaven sent a man who mended wings to catch her 'fore she fell Now they're out there seein' this whole world, Lord knows she's earned it well
05 We miss you, mama, every day But you're still here anyway In the candles and the cradles and the aisles still yet to come We saved your chair by the fire, till the Lord calls us home 'Cause love don't leave when the leavin's done
06 But grief pulled up a chair at our table, made itself at home It's hard to love a mother who's still learnin' on her own When the one you laid to rest never got the chance to let you down Some hurts don't have a doctor, some healin's Heaven-bound
07 I can't mend what the ground took Can't preach away the pain Two daddies did the leavin' Lord, don't let it leave a stain 'Cause all that I can do is pray All that I can do is pray
08 We miss you, mama, every day But you're still here anyway In the candles and the cradles and the aisles still yet to come We saved your chair by the fire, till the Lord calls us home 'Cause love don't leave when the leavin's done
09 And mama, mine, you're still here Ain't no need to save your chair It's sittin' warm beside the fire Come sit with us a while
10 We miss you, mom Till the Lord calls us home Love, always Your babies
Words and music by Nathanael Joseph. © Nathanael Joseph Ende. All rights reserved. Quote a line with credit; please don't reprint the whole song.
