[Intro — acoustic strum, 110 BPM]
(Soft hum, acoustic guitar, light pop drums, subtle pedal steel fills)
Snap — two quick claps, a warm breath in, then a bright guitar lick.
[Verse 1]
Mornings smelled like coffee, cinnamon, and butter on the griddle,
You hummed Patsy Cline's "Crazy" while you flipped the world a little.
Tied a ribbon in Nicole's baby hair, kissed the sleepy brow,
Slid a folded note in my shoe that read, “Be brave — go now.”
[Pre-Chorus]
Your laugh is the map we follow when the nights get cold and long,
Daddy tells the same old joke you loved — we finish every song.
Grandma POWLEY claps her hands and the kitchen feels like home,
Those tiny lights you left behind still guide us when we roam.
[Chorus]
You're the loudest cheer in my life,
You taught us how to reach for the sky.
You clap the loudest in every crowd,
Momma, you made us brave and bright.
[Verse 2]
There's a crooked photo on the mantle where the sun finds your grin,
You kept a blue bandana on the porch like armor for the wind.
You'd whisper, "Hold your heart, baby, sing it true," when I forgot my line,
That phrase still fits in my pocket like a coin that jingles fine.
[Pre-Chorus]
Your footsteps were a metronome that kept our small town steady,
You tucked our names into your prayers and taught us to say yes, ready.
Daddy keeps your punchlines, Nicole learns your two-note start,
Grandma POWLEY hums along and stitches you into our hearts.
[Chorus]
You're the loudest cheer in my life,
You taught us how to reach for the sky.
You clap the loudest in every crowd,
Momma, you made us brave and bright.
[Bridge — quiet, build]
(Quiet: single vocal, soft harmonies, fingerpicked guitar)
Call: "Momma?"
Response (soft): "We feel you."
(Clap comes in — hands, tambourine, a gentle swell)
You taught us how to stand up, and how to spin when storms came through,
We lift a little higher now because you showed us how to move.
[Pre-Final — vocal lift / ad-lib]
(Harmonies triple, subtle steel guitar, drums pick up)
Nicole sings the line you hummed, Daddy snaps the rhythm right,
Grandma POWLEY smiles and the whole room turns to light.
[Final Chorus — key up a half step, full band]
You're the loudest cheer in my life,
You taught us how to reach for the sky.
You clap the loudest in every crowd,
Momma, you made us brave and bright.
[Tag]
Biggest fan — biggest fan — you're our steady, shining hand.
We sing your name, we feel your flame — Momma, you made us brave and bright.
[Outro — spoken, close mic]
Happy birthday, Momma. We hold you close today and always. Keep singing with Nicole and Daddy and Grandma POWLEY — we love you forever and always.
