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