Leave The Porch Light On

Intro

[Mum] "It's past three.

He said he'd call when his shift finished."

Phone buzzes once, then silence.

[Mum] "Lord... just bring him home."

Verse 1

The kettle's gone cold, but I can't make myself sleep

Every car that passes sounds like tyres on my street

I keep the porch light burning like a lighthouse in the rain

'Cause a mother's little prayers can hold a whole world's pain

I remember him at seven, missing tooth, muddy knees

Drawing superheroes on the back of old receipts

Now he's grown and quiet, carries weight behind his eyes

And I've learned not to ask too much, just to keep the love alive

His dad left early, so I learned to be both

Worked the early shifts, then the late ones, then some more

I never had a lot, but I gave him what I knew:

"Walk away from trouble, son. Let trouble walk past you."

Hook

Vocal Harmony

Leave the porch light on, leave the front door unlocked

I don't need him to be rich, I just need him to come home

This city's got a way of turning boys into men too soon

But I still see my baby in the light of the moon

Leave the porch light on, let him know he's not alone

Even when the road is dark, there's a way back home

I'll keep praying through the night, keep my faith burning strong

'Cause a mother's love don't sleep when the night goes on

Verse 2

I heard about Bobson growing up down the road

Sweet boy once, then the streets took a different kind of hold

I saw his mum at the shops, we never say too much

But mothers know that look — it's the fear behind the blush

When Jay told me he saw him, I felt my heart drop

Not because my son was weak, but because the world don't stop

Testing young men with temptation, then it judges what they choose

I taught him right from wrong, but the streets can make it confusing news

I wanted to call him, tell him, "Come the long way home"

But I knew he had to make that choice on his own

So I sat by the window, hands folded, eyes wet

Praying every step he took would be a step he wouldn't regret

Bridge

Spoken, Female Vocalist

I don't need him to be famous.

I don't need him to prove nothing to nobody.

I just need him to walk through that door.

Because some nights, that's all a mother asks for.

Verse 3

Then I heard the key turn, and my whole chest released

There he stood in the doorway, soaked from head to feet

I didn't ask him questions, I just pulled him into my arms

Felt his heartbeat against mine, like a shield from harm

He said, "Mum, I saw Bobson. He needed help tonight."

I said, "And what did you do, Jay?"

He said, "I did what was right."

That's when the tears came — not from fear, but from pride

My boy walked through temptation and kept his dignity inside

I made him some tea, though he said he wasn't hungry

Sat beside him in silence, let the rain talk for us

And I thought, "Thank you, Lord, for the road that brought him back"

'Cause some mothers wait forever for a knock that never comes back

Final Hook — strings enter, fuller. Vocal Harmony

Leave the porch light on, leave the front door unlocked

I don't need him to be rich, I just need him to come home

This city's got a way of turning boys into men too soon

Breakdown

Percussion Only, Female Vocalist

Mm-mm, mm-mm

Shh-shh, shh-shh

Rain on the roof, keeping time

Mm-mm, mm-mm

Verse 4

Dawn comes creeping through the kitchen window pane

Jay's asleep on the sofa, still wearing yesterday's rain

I brew a pot for two and let the morning do its thing

Some quiet is a gift, some quiet is a song you sing

He wakes up slow, rubs his eyes, says, "Mum, I'm sorry for the fright"

I said, "Boy, don't apologise for coming home at night"

He tells me 'bout the corner where the older boys all stand

How he walked the long way round and put his future in his hands

Hook

Vocal Harmony

Leave the porch light on, leave the front door unlocked

I don't need him to be rich, I just need him to come home

This city's got a way of turning boys into men too soon

But I still see my baby in the light of the moon

Verse 5

Now the neighbours start to stir, the market stalls roll out

Mr Adeyemi waves, says, "Your boy's a good one, no doubt"

I smile and hold my basket like a trophy in my hands

'Cause a village raised a child where the city raised a man

Jay says, "Mum, I'm gonna finish school, then get a trade"

Says, "Bobson's getting help now, found a programme, found a way"

I don't clap, I don't shout, I just nod and let him speak

Sometimes pride is just a mother keeping quiet at the peak

Verse 6

We eat rice and stew together, no big speeches, no parade

He laughs at something silly, and the fear begins to fade

I watch him tie his laces like he's tying up his life

Every knot a little stronger, every step a little right

I think of all the mothers in this city, in this town

Rocking babies, biting nails, waiting for a sound

Of a door, of a voice, of a name called soft and low

We don't ask for much, we just want them to know

Hook

Vocal Harmony

Leave the porch light on, leave the front door unlocked

I don't need him to be rich, I just need him to come home

This city's got a way of turning boys into men too soon

But I still see my baby in the light of the moon

Leave the porch light on, let him know he's not alone

Even when the road is dark, there's a way back home

I kept praying through the night, kept my faith burning strong

And my boy came walking home before the dawn

Bridge

Spoken, Female Vocalist

Time don't stop for nobody.

One day he'll have his own porch light to leave on.

And he'll understand why I never slept.

Verse 7

Years roll by like buses down a busy avenue

He's got a flat, a job, a girl who laughs the way he do

He calls me every Sunday, sometimes Monday if he can

Says, "Mum, you were the lighthouse when I couldn't see the land"

Now I'm older, knees are stiff, the kettle's slow to boil

But the porch light's still a habit, still a bulb I won't uncoil

He brings the grandkids round on Fridays, chaos on the lawn

And I hear my own mother's voice inside my daughter-in-law's song

Verse 8

Bobson came by last December, suit on, clean-shaved, calm

Shook my hand and said, "Auntie, thank you for the prayers and the psalms"

I said, "Child, that was your doing, you chose the harder road"

He said, "Somebody left a light on, and it carried me home"

So I tell the young ones gathered at the corner of my street

Leave the trouble where you found it, let your two feet do the beat

Call your mother when you're able, even if it's just to say

"I'm alright, I'm still walking, and I'm coming home one day"

Hook

Vocal Harmony

Leave the porch light on, leave the front door unlocked

I don't need him to be rich, I just need him to come home

This city's got a way of turning boys into men too soon

But I still see my baby in the light of the moon

Leave the porch light on, let him know he's not alone

Even when the road is dark, there's a way back home

I kept praying through the night, kept my faith burning strong

And my boy came walking home before the dawn

Post-Chorus

Vocal Harmony

Home, home, home

Coming home, coming home

Home, home, home

Coming home

Outro

Female Vocalist, soft

Sleep, my darling.