Woke up this morning with the sun on my face,
Had a little trouble, but I still found grace.
World keeps turning, people come and go,
But there’s one little truth everybody ought to know.

When the road gets muddy, and the night gets long,
You can find your way if your heart stays strong.
Don’t need a crown, don’t need a diamond ring,
Just stand up tall and do the right thing.

Do the right thing, even when it’s hard,
Do the right thing, let it come from the heart.
When nobody’s watching, when the bells don’t ring,
You still shine bright when you do the right thing.
Oh, do the right thing, baby, do the right thing.

A man on the corner had holes in his shoes,
I gave him my coat and I gave him the blues.
He smiled back at me like the morning sky,
Said, “Kindness is the wings that help the broken fly.”

Now I ain’t no preacher, and I ain’t no king,
But love gets louder when the good bell rings.
You can change this world with a simple offering,
Just open your hands and do the right thing.

Do the right thing, even when it’s hard,
Do the right thing, let it come from the heart.
When nobody’s watching, when the bells don’t ring,
You still shine bright when you do the right thing.
Oh, do the right thing, baby, do the right thing.

Tell the truth when a lie feels easy,
Hold on tight when the winds get breezy.
Forgive somebody who done you wrong,
Turn that hurt into a healing song.

Mama used to tell me, “Son, keep your name clean,
Don’t let your soul get hard or mean.
Money may leave and fame may fade,
But a good heart’s gold at the end of the day.”

Do the right thing, even when it’s hard,
Do the right thing, let it come from the heart.
When nobody’s watching, when the bells don’t ring,
You still shine bright when you do the right thing.

So clap your hands, let the good news swing,
Raise your voice and let freedom sing.
If you want more joy than the world can bring,
Just walk in love and do the right thing.
Oh, do the right thing, baby, do the right thing.

I went lookin’ for happiness, down by the railroad line,
Had a suitcase full of worries and a pocket full of time.
I asked the moon where joy went, she just winked and disappeared,
Said, “Son, you’ve been standin’ on it—while you’re searchin’ over here.”

I tried to buy some happiness at the five-and-dime,
The lady said, “We’re sold out, but peace is on aisle nine.”
I found it in a coffee cup, I lost it in the rain,
Then it came back laughin’ when I stopped callin’ out its name.

Happiness, oh happiness, you’re a hard thing to hold,
You don’t shine like silver, you don’t spend like gold.
You sneak in through the window when the house is dark and low,
Happiness, sweet happiness, you bloom where blues songs grow.

I met a rich man cryin’ in a brand-new Cadillac,
He said, “I got everything I wanted, but I want my old soul back.”
I met a poor man singin’ with holes in both his shoes,
He said, “Brother, I’m not broke—just walkin’ with the blues.”

I chased it through the city, I chased it through the night,
I caught it for a minute in a neon barroom light.
But it slipped right through my fingers like smoke from a cigarette,
Then sat down right beside me when I learned how to forget.

Happiness, oh happiness, you’re a hard thing to hold,
You don’t shine like silver, you don’t spend like gold.
You sneak in through the window when the house is dark and low,
Happiness, sweet happiness, you bloom where blues songs grow.
It ain’t in tomorrow, it ain’t in yesterday,
It ain’t in what they owe you or what they took away.
It’s in a little mercy, it’s in a second chance,
It’s in the way your weary feet still remember how to dance.

Now I keep my happiness in a jar behind my grin,
I take a little sip of it when sorrow stumbles in.
I don’t brag too loud about it, don’t want to scare it away,
’Cause happiness is shy sometimes—but it still comes out to play.

Happiness, oh happiness, you’re a hard thing to hold,
You don’t shine like silver, you don’t spend like gold.
You sneak in through the window when the house is dark and low,
Happiness, sweet happiness, you bloom where blues songs grow.

So when my blues come knockin’, I invite ’em in for tea,
They sit down with my happiness and both start singin’ with me.
I found joy in the trouble, found light inside the rain,
Happiness ain’t the absence of sorrow,
It’s learnin’ how to sing through pain.

Woke up this morning, rain tapping on my door,
Clouds were counting troubles I’d been carrying before.
Coffee tasted bitter, bills stacked up in twos,
But I found a little sunshine hiding in my blues.

My shoes had holes laughing, my old coat had a chill,
The landlord left a letter sitting quiet on the sill.
But my heart struck a match with nothing left to lose,
And I lit up the whole room with sunshine in the blues.

I got sunshine in the blues,
A golden little rhythm in my worn-out shoes.
When the world says, “Boy, you’re bound to lose,”
I just shine a little brighter with sunshine in the blues.
Yeah, I cry if I need to, then I pay my dues,
But I dance through the thunder with sunshine in the blues.

Had a woman tell me, “Honey, you’re too broke to dream,”
I said, “Love don’t need a mansion, just a porch and a beam.”
She smiled like Sunday, said, “Maybe that’s true,”
Now she hums in the kitchen with sunshine in the blues.

I’ve seen hard luck preaching from a secondhand chair,
Seen hope wear rags and still comb back its hair.
A sad song ain’t sad if it tells the truth,
Sometimes sorrow grows wings when the melody cuts loose.

I got sunshine in the blues,
A golden little rhythm in my worn-out shoes.
When the world says, “Boy, you’re bound to lose,”
I just shine a little brighter with sunshine in the blues.
Yeah, I bend but I don’t break, I’ve got joy I can use,
I learned to make a halo out of hard-time news.

Now trouble is a teacher with a gravel-road voice,
It don’t ask your permission, it don’t give you much choice.
But I took that pain, put a backbeat underneath,
Now my tears got timing and my grief got teeth.

So pass me that guitar, let the night roll in,
I’ll shake hands with heartache like an old lost friend.
There’s a laugh in the lightning, there’s gold in the bruise,
There’s a sunrise every midnight called sunshine in the blues.

I got sunshine in the blues,
A golden little rhythm in my worn-out shoes.
When the world says, “Boy, you’re bound to lose,”
I just shine a little brighter with sunshine in the blues.
I don’t run from the darkness, I just change the view,
Turn a heartbreak into music, let the whole sky turn blue.

All I’ve ever wanted was to stand where you are,
To see your face shining like a midnight star.
I’ve been walking through shadows, carrying your name,
With a heart full of thunder and a soul full of flame.

I’ve crossed broken bridges, I’ve slept in the rain,
Made friends with the sorrow, made peace with the pain.
But every road I travel, every dark mile I do,
Only brings me closer to meeting you.

I would march through fifty miles of hell to meet you,
Through the fire, through the smoke, through the devil’s door too.
I’d crawl on my knees if my feet couldn’t move,
There’s nothing in this world I wouldn’t go through.
All I’ve ever wanted, Lord, all I ever knew,
Was the day my heart would be meeting you.

I’ve heard angels whisper when the night got cold,
Saying love don’t die when the body grows old.
I’ve seen lonely rivers carry moonlight away,
But your name kept rising at the break of day.

Every scar on my spirit, every tear I’ve cried,
Was a map in the darkness with you on the other side.
And if heaven is a doorway, if love is the key,
Then I know you’ve been waiting somewhere for me.

I would march through fifty miles of hell to meet you,
Through the fire, through the smoke, through the devil’s door too.
I’d crawl on my knees if my feet couldn’t move,
There’s nothing in this world I wouldn’t go through.
All I’ve ever wanted, Lord, all I ever knew,
Was the day my heart would be meeting you.
Let the thunder roll, let the wild winds rise,
Let the whole world disappear before my eyes.
I don’t need gold, I don’t need fame,
I just need to hear you call my name.

If the road turns black and the sun won’t shine,
I’ll keep on walking past the end of time.
’Cause some love is stronger than bone and breath,
Some love keeps singing on the far side of death.

So I’ll lace up my sorrow, put my faith in my shoes,
Take one more step with nothing left to lose.
If the gates are burning, I’ll still walk on through,
With my arms wide open, just to get to you.

And when I finally see you, I won’t ask why,
I’ll just lay down my burdens and let my soul cry.
Every mile of the misery, every night so blue,
Will be worth that moment of meeting you.

I used to watch the clouds roll in,
And close the curtains tight,
Thought every storm was trouble
Coming down to steal the light.
Then you came walking through my door,
And called my heart by name—
Now thunder sounds like music,
And I like the rain.

You touched me like a summer shower,
Soft against my skin,
You found the lonely places
No one else had ever been.
Every drop upon the window
Writes your love across the pane—
Falling like the rain,
I’m falling for you again.

I like the rain
When I’m standing close to you,
Every silver drop is shining,
Every lonely sky turns blue.
Let it pour, let it thunder,
Let it wash away the pain—
Falling like the rain,
I’m falling for you again.
Oh, falling like the rain,
I’m falling for you.

Your love is warm as lamplight
On a cold and restless night,
Like a fire in the window
That keeps calling me inside.
You don’t promise perfect weather,
You just hold me when it changes—
And somehow in your arms,
Even storms feel safe.

There’s a rhythm on the rooftop,
There’s a heartbeat in the street,
There’s a river running gently
Where your soul and my soul meet.
I can taste forever
In the water on your lips—
And heaven feels so near
Whenever we kiss.

I like the rain
When I’m standing close to you,
Every silver drop is shining,
Every lonely sky turns blue.
Let it pour, let it thunder,
Let it wash away the pain—
Falling like the rain,
I’m falling for you again.
Oh, falling like the rain,
I’m falling for you.

Some people wait for sunshine,
Some people curse the clouds,
But I have heard love whisper
When the storm was singing loud.
And if the whole world floods tonight,
I know what I will do—
I’ll build my home inside your heart
And let the rain come through.

Let it fall on the roses,
Let it fall on the road,
Let it cool every sorrow
My weary heart has known.
Let it fall like forgiveness,
Sweet and steady, warm and true—
Every drop that touches me
Feels like another kiss from you.

I like the rain
When I’m wrapped up in your arms,
Every flash of lightning
Only shows me where you are.
Let it pour, let it thunder,
Let it call me by your name—
Falling like the rain,
I’m falling for you again.

Yes, falling like the rain,
So tender, wild, and true—
I used to run from every storm,
Now I run through it to you.

I like the rain…
I like the way it falls…
But more than anything, my love,
I like the way I fall—
Falling like the rain,
I’m falling for you.

Down where the red dirt road keeps rollin' slow,
And the magnolia blooms where the old winds blow,
There’s a front porch swing with a worn-out sound,
Where the stories rise when the sun goes down.
Sweet tea waitin’ on a wooden table,
Grandma’s Bible and a Cain’t-Do fable,
Old guitar hummin’ through the evening heat,
With a back-porch rhythm and a gospel beat.

Oh, the South, the South, she’s got a song in her bones,
A little heartache, a little healing, and a place called home.
From Mississippi blues to Alabama roads,
She carries every sorrow, but she never lets go.
Oh, the South, the South, where the faithful stand,
With family in their hearts and red clay on their hands.

Church bells ring on a Sunday morn,
Choir robes swayin’ like a field of corn,
Cotton fields glow in the golden light,
And the old folks pray everything’s gonna be alright.
Neighbors gather when the day is done,
Talkin’ ’bout rain and the setting sun,
There’s a kindness there you can’t explain,
Like flowers still growin’ after years of rain.

Oh, the South, the South, she’s got a song in her bones,
A little heartache, a little healing, and a place called home.
From Mississippi blues to Alabama roads,
She carries every sorrow, but she never lets go.
Oh, the South, the South, where the faithful stand,
With family in their hearts and red clay on their hands.

She’s seen hard times, she’s seen pain,
She’s danced barefoot in the pouring rain.
She remembers the names of the ones gone by,
Keeps their voices in the midnight sky.
There’s struggle in the soil, pride in the trees,
And a prayer riding soft on the Delta breeze.

Now I hear that train in the distance moan,
Soundin’ like a heart that’s tryin’ to get home.
Old blues man pickin’ by the county line,
Singin’ every scar into something divine.
The South ain’t perfect, but she sure is strong,
She turns her tears into a working song.
With faith, and fire, and a hand-me-down tune,
She keeps on singin’ underneath the moon.

Oh, the South, the South, she’s got a song in her bones,
A little heartache, a little healing, and a place called home.
From Mississippi blues to Alabama roads,
She carries every sorrow, but she never lets go.
Oh, the South, the South, where the faithful stand,
With family in their hearts and red clay on their hands.

Yeah, the South keeps singin’ when the night gets long,
A front porch prayer and an old blues song.
Sweet tea, church bells, and guitars still sound,
That’s the soul of the South, still holy ground.

I hear a mother crying
On the other side of town,
I see a lonely stranger
With nobody around.
We may speak a different language,
We may come from different lands,
But every heart can understand
The meaning of two hands.

We’ve been walking separate roads,
Carrying burdens all alone,
But together we can build
A better world to call our home.

Come on, join hands,
People all around the world, join hands.
Let every man, every woman,
Every boy and every girl take a stand.
Lay down the anger,
Let love lead the way.
We can make this world a better place
If we join hands today.

There’s too much hurt between us,
Too many walls of fear,
Too many voices calling
That nobody stops to hear.
But kindness needs no passport,
And hope belongs to everyone.
When we lift each other from the ground,
A brand-new day has begun.

We don’t have to look the same
To share the same blue sky.
We all need love, we all need hope,
We all laugh and we all cry.

Come on, join hands,
People all around the world, join hands.
Let every man, every woman,
Every boy and every girl take a stand.
Lay down the anger,
Let love lead the way.
We can make this world a better place
If we join hands today.

Oh, I’ve seen the mighty stumble,
I’ve seen the faithful fall.
I’ve learned that one heart standing alone
Can’t carry it all.
But a million hands together
Can raise the weary and weak.
And a million voices singing love
Can give the whole world peace.

From the mountains to the valleys,
From the cities to the farms,
Let us welcome every neighbor
With compassion in our arms.
Let the rich stand with the hungry,
Let the strong help those in need.
Let us plant the seeds of unity
And grow a world of peace.

Come on, join hands,
People all around the world, join hands.
Let every nation come together,
Let us rise as one and take a stand.
Lay down the hatred,
Let love lead the way.
We can make this world a better place
If we join hands today.

Join hands—
Black and white, young and old.
Join hands—

Let the broken hearts be whole.
Join hands—
Let freedom, hope, and kindness reign.
Together we can heal this world
And wash away the pain.

Oh, join hands,
People all around the world, join hands.
A better day is waiting
When we finally understand:
The world becomes a better place
When we all join hands.

There’s a statue on the hilltop,
With the sunrise in its eyes,
Four golden souls together,
Reaching up toward open skies.
They don’t stand for stone and silence,
They don’t stand for chains and pain,
They stand for every burden lifted,
They stand — let freedom reign.

Let freedom reign, let freedom rise,
Let it roll like thunder through the American skies.
From the fields of sorrow to the promised plain,
Break every chain, let freedom reign.
Oh, let freedom reign, let freedom reign,
Let every heart remember the cost of pain.

One figure lifts its hands to heaven,
Like relief has found the sky,
After years of heavy sorrow,
There’s a tear of joy to cry.
No more bowing under darkness,
No more names erased by shame,
Now the soul can breathe in daylight,
Now the voice can speak its name.

Let freedom reign, let freedom rise,
Let it roll like thunder through the American skies.
From the fields of sorrow to the promised plain,
Break every chain, let freedom reign.
Oh, let freedom reign, let freedom reign,
Let every heart remember the cost of pain.

One cries out with bursting gladness,
With a joy no cage can hide,
Like a river broke its levee,
Like the truth came rushing wide.
That cry is for the mothers,

For the fathers torn apart,
For the children born to bondage,
Now held close to freedom’s heart.

One stands still in grateful silence,
With a prayer beneath the sun,
Thinking of the ones who suffered,
And the battles they had won.
There’s a holy kind of quiet,
When the suffering starts to fade,
When a people rise from ashes,
And walk forward unafraid.

Let freedom reign, let freedom rise,
Let it roll like thunder through the American skies.
From the fields of sorrow to the promised plain,
Break every chain, let freedom reign.
Oh, let freedom reign, let freedom reign,
Let every heart remember the cost of pain.

One rises proud and strong now,
With the future in his hands,
No longer bent by cruelty,
No longer owned by man.
He stands for human dignity,
For the right to bear your name,
For every soul that cried for justice,
Until freedom finally came.

Together they tell the story,
Of a people marching on,
Through the night of bitter bondage,
Toward the breaking of the dawn.
They remind this nation’s children,
Freedom must be guarded still,
It is born in truth and mercy,
It is carried by the will.

Let freedom reign, let freedom rise,
Let it roll like thunder through the American skies.
From the fields of sorrow to the promised plain,
Break every chain, let freedom reign.
Oh, let freedom reign, let freedom reign,
From sea to shining sea, let freedom reign.

No more chains on the spirit,
No more fear in the name,
Four souls stand together,
Singing let freedom reign.
Let freedom reign…
Let freedom reign…
Let freedom reign.

Oh, I was born where the river keeps secrets,
Where the cotton fields whisper at night,
A shadow cast under the old oak tree,
Where a poor man learns to carry sorrow in sight.

I've watched brothers turn to strangers,
Love's a ghost that's hard to find,
So I kneel down in this Delta dust,
With the whole world on my mind.

I’m praying for peace, Lord, praying for peace,
Let the guns go quiet, let the hatred cease.
Lay mercy on the table, let forgiveness take a seat,
I’m down here in Mississippi,
Praying for peace.

Mama said, “Son, don’t chase thunder,
It’ll only steal your sky,”
But I’ve heard thunder in the hearts of men,
Who forgot how to cry.

Everybody wants the last word,
Nobody wants the blame,
But a match don’t ask who struck it,
When the whole house goes up in flames.

I’m praying for peace, Lord, praying for peace,
Let the guns go quiet and the hatred cease.
Lay mercy on the table, let forgiveness take a seat,
I’m down here in Mississippi,
Praying for peace.

Peace ain’t weak, it’s a river stone,
Worn smooth but standing strong.
It don’t shout above the choir,
It hums beneath the song.

I got blues in my back pocket,
Got old scars in my shoes,
Got a Bible full of tear stains,
And a guitar full of truth.

I don’t need no golden mansion,
Don’t need my name in lights,
Just give my children morning,
That don’t tremble through the night.

I’m praying for peace, Lord, praying for peace,
Let the guns go quiet and the hatred cease.
Lay mercy on the table, let forgiveness take a seat,
I’m down here in Mississippi,
Praying for peace.

From the Delta to the mountains,
From the city to the sea,
Every heart’s a little chapel,
When it bends down on its knees.

Lord, cool this burning world,
Let every wounded soul release,
I’m just one bluesman by the river,
Still praying for peace.

There’s smoke on the mountain, there’s dust on the road,
A mother keeps prayin’ with a heavy load.
Her boy’s in the doorway with fear in his eyes,
Watchin’ the moon hide behind the firelight sky.
Somewhere a church bell, somewhere a call,
Somewhere a child don’t understand it at all.
But deep in the silence, where the broken hearts meet,
There’s a river still runnin’ underneath our feet.

There’ll be peace in the valley,
When the guns lay down their pride.
Peace in the valley,
When mercy learns to rise.
No flag is worth a mother’s cry,
No crown is worth one soul.
There’ll be peace in the valley
When love comes walkin’ home.

I’ve seen old men tremble with medals on their chest,
Sayin’, “War don’t leave nobody blessed.”
I’ve seen fields in Ukraine where the sun still shines,
And children in Gaza countin’ stars through the blinds.
From Sudan’s red dust to the streets of Port-au-Prince,
The world’s been beggin’ for forgiveness ever since.
But a seed in the ruins can still find rain,
And a song can rise higher than the sorrow and pain.

There’ll be peace in the valley,
When the guns lay down their pride.
Peace in the valley,
When mercy learns to rise.
No flag is worth a mother’s cry,
No crown is worth one soul.
There’ll be peace in the valley
When love comes walkin’ home.

Don’t tell me hate is stronger,
I’ve seen kindness split the stone.
Don’t tell me night lasts forever,
I’ve seen dawn find the lost and lone.
One hand can lift a neighbor,
One voice can start a choir.
One tear can cool the anger,
One prayer can drown the fire.

So bring me the farmer, bring me the king,
Bring me the wounded with nothing to bring.
Bring me the stranger from across the sea,
Sit him right down at the table with me.
We’ll break one bread, we’ll pour one wine,
We’ll draw no borders through the human mind.
If heaven’s got a doorway, I believe it’s this:
A hand reaching out where there used to be a fist.

There’ll be peace in the valley,
When the guns lay down their pride.
Peace in the valley,
When mercy learns to rise.
No flag is worth a mother’s cry,
No crown is worth one soul.
There’ll be peace in the valley
When love comes walkin’ home.

Let the river keep rollin’,
Let the weary be known.
Let the bells start ringin’
For every child coming home.
There’ll be peace in the valley,
Not carved in brass or stone.
There’ll be peace in the valley
When love comes walkin’ home.