The Last Candle in America

Lyrics

[INTRODUCTION] [VERSE 1] The headlines finally faded The yard signs came back down The promises and arguments Stopped echoing through town The storefronts locked up early The crowds all went back home And winter settled quietly Across the roads we’d known The decorations lingered Though Christmas Day had passed A few lights still were shining While the others didn’t last And in the dark I started noticing What I’d missed before It wasn’t in the spotlight It was a porch light by a door [CHORUS] Like the last candle in America Still burning through the night A stubborn little testimony Refusing to lose the fight Not bright enough to blind us Not loud enough to boast Just enough light to find each other When we need it most [VERSE 2] A teacher buying winter coats A neighbor bringing meals A nurse who stayed an extra hour Because somebody needed healed A church basement full of folding chairs And coffee brewed too strong A volunteer still showing up Long after hope seemed gone No cameras in attendance No credit to be claimed Just ordinary people Not letting each other feel ashamed Holding back the darkness In a thousand unseen ways [CHORUS] Like the last candle in America Still burning through the night A stubborn little testimony Refusing to lose the fight Not bright enough to blind us Not loud enough to boast Just enough light to find each other When we need it most [BRIDGE] Maybe hope was never meant To arrive with marching bands Maybe redemption looks a little more Like helping hands Maybe the kingdom comes The way it always has A loaf of bread An open chair A welcome mat A shared path Maybe Bethlehem survives Anywhere love makes room Maybe the light we’ve been looking for Is looking back at us, too [FINAL CHORUS] We’re the last candles in America Still burning through the night A fragile little testimony Refusing to lose the fight Not bright enough to blind us Not loud enough to boast Just enough light to find each other When we need it most We’re the last candles in America So lift your flame and sing The dark has never been the author Of a single living thing And even now the dawn is gathering Beyond what we can see We’re the last candles in America But we’re not the only ones burning [OUTRO] So leave a light on For the stranger For the neighbor For the wanderer For the weary Leave a light on Because somebody once did For you