[Verse 1]
Neon ghosts in the window where I lost my name,
A blackjack night and a pocket full of shame.
A prayer card folded in a Bible I can't read,
Cold clang of the cell door, and a hunger I don't feed.
The city smells like diesel, rain, and cheap perfume,
A picture of your smile tucked under a motel room.
I trace the lines of my hands — they tremble like a drum,
Mama, I took the wrong road and now I'm coming undone.
[Pre-Chorus]
I'm reaching for a lantern in a sky gone gray,
Looking for the hand that taught me how to pray.
Hold me with the mercy that you never loaned,
Guide me with the voice that used to call me home.
[Chorus]
Mama, bring me home — (bring me home)
Mama, bring me home — (bring me home)
Mama, bring me home, I can't do this on my own.
Mama, bring me home —
Mama, bring me home.
[Verse 2]
There were women like wild weather and a river of bad bets,
Neon lights that hummed the lies until the sunrise set.
I folded cards into pockets, like I was hiding truth,
A single tear on a bar napkin, like the handwriting of youth.
I hear you hum our Sunday hymn when the streets are quiet now,
I wish Dad were standing with you, showing me how.
His old jacket in a closet, the scent of tobacco and sand,
Mama, you whispered, “Boy, we'll walk you back to land.”
[Pre-Chorus 2 - Escalation]
But time has teeth and it took more than I could see,
The mirror shows a stranger staring back at me.
If prayers are threads, then I'm a hole in the seam,
Can your love stitch me whole? Can you save this dream?
I clutch a letter folded tired — Dad’s handwriting faint and calm,
He wrote, “Keep your head, my son,” and signed it with his palm.
[Chorus]
Mama, bring me home — (bring me home)
Mama, bring me home — (bring me home)
Mama, bring me home, I can't do this on my own.
Mama, bring me home —
Mama, bring me home.
[Bridge]
(Spoken over a single piano note)
I found a sunrise through a cracked-up window pane,
There was a churchyard smell of rain and fresh-brewed grain.
A letter in my pocket, your voice inside my coat —
It said, “Boy, keep walking, let your heart be your boat.”
(Call-and-response)
Mama: "Child, I hear you in the night, I'm standing by your side."
Son: "Mama, I'm so tired, and my compass won't decide."
Mama: "I'll meet you halfway — bring your burdens down to me."
Son: "If you hold my hand, maybe I can learn to be free."
[Build]
Strings rise like morning, gospel choir softly grows,
Piano keeps the heartbeat where the honest truth unfolds.
I lay my wallet on the altar, my mistakes like falling stones,
Your laughter breaks the silence — and hope rolls into my bones.
[Chorus - Final, Big]
Mama, bring me home — (bring me home)
Mama, bring me home — (bring me home)
Mama, bring me home, I can't do this on my own.
Mama, bring me home — (bring me home)
Mama, bring me home — (bring me home)
Mama, bring me home, lead me back where love is known.
[Outro]
Soft hum of the hymn, your hand closes round my palm,
The road is long and crooked, but your prayer keeps me calm.
Mama, bring me