Build a Little Porch

My granddad's Bible lost its binding
Coffee rings ran through Saint John
He kept bent nails in a coffee can
Straightened each one on his knee
Said, Brand-new don't make it strong
What you mend can still belong

Build a little porch where the lost come home
Keep an empty chair when the night runs long
Plant your mama's roses; thank the Lord for enough
When the world gets loud, come on home

Years later, three acres outside town
I hung a secondhand swing
I set his old coffee can beside me
Where the red clay met the steps
I bent a nail back straight
I bent a nail back straight one Sunday
And heard what Granddad meant

Someday one of you will call past midnight
Dad, I don't know how to come home
I'll keep that old chair empty
A porch ain't lumber
It's who you're waiting for

Build a little porch where the lost come home
Keep an empty chair when the night runs long
Keep an empty chair when the night runs long
Plant your mama's roses; thank the Lord for enough
When the world gets loud
When the world gets loud, come on home

Build a little porch
Leave the light on