Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
“I’m Still Here”
Grandma’s hands know every road
From the river to the plains
She said the land remembers us
Even when we forget our names
There’s a pickup idling at sunrise
Dust still clinging to my boots
I say a quiet prayer to the ground
Before I choose what I’ll do
They took a lot, they took their time
They tried to teach us how to leave
But I was raised on stubborn hope
And things the earth won’t let you lose
I’m still here in the morning
Still here when the crows take flight
Still here with my boots in the soil
And my face in the light
They can redraw every border
Say whatever they want is true
But I’m still here in the morning
And this land still knows me too
Dad worked long days off the highway
Mom sang low while the radio played
Old country songs about heartache
And living one more day
We learned to laugh between the cracks
To make a dollar stretch
To carry history in our backs
And love with what’s left
They told us who we were supposed to be
From books that never said our name
But stories live in living mouths
And they don’t burn the same
I’m still here in the morning
Still here when the sky turns blue
Still here with the songs they gave me
Still singing them new
They can take the language from paper
They can silence a room
But I’m still here in the morning
And the drumbeat’s in my shoes
I don’t need a monument
I don’t need a flag
I see my people in the mirror
In everything I have
Survival isn’t quiet
But it doesn’t always shout
Sometimes it’s just staying
When they thought you’d be gone by now
I’m still here in the morning
Still here through the long nights too
Still here raising kids on stories
That carry us through
I walk soft but I stand firm
I know exactly what to do
I’m still here in the morning
And I’m not going anywhere from you
So when the sun climbs over the hills
And the day finally starts
I leave a little tobacco
And thank the land for my heart
I’m still here in the morning
Still here, still true
“I’m Still Here”
Grandma’s hands know every road
From the river to the plains
She said the land remembers us
Even when we forget our names
There’s a pickup idling at sunrise
Dust still clinging to my boots
I say a quiet prayer to the ground
Before I choose what I’ll do
They took a lot, they took their time
They tried to teach us how to leave
But I was raised on stubborn hope
And things the earth won’t let you lose
I’m still here in the morning
Still here when the crows take flight
Still here with my boots in the soil
And my face in the light
They can redraw every border
Say whatever they want is true
But I’m still here in the morning
And this land still knows me too
Dad worked long days off the highway
Mom sang low while the radio played
Old country songs about heartache
And living one more day
We learned to laugh between the cracks
To make a dollar stretch
To carry history in our backs
And love with what’s left
They told us who we were supposed to be
From books that never said our name
But stories live in living mouths
And they don’t burn the same
I’m still here in the morning
Still here when the sky turns blue
Still here with the songs they gave me
Still singing them new
They can take the language from paper
They can silence a room
But I’m still here in the morning
And the drumbeat’s in my shoes
I don’t need a monument
I don’t need a flag
I see my people in the mirror
In everything I have
Survival isn’t quiet
But it doesn’t always shout
Sometimes it’s just staying
When they thought you’d be gone by now
I’m still here in the morning
Still here through the long nights too
Still here raising kids on stories
That carry us through
I walk soft but I stand firm
I know exactly what to do
I’m still here in the morning
And I’m not going anywhere from you
So when the sun climbs over the hills
And the day finally starts
I leave a little tobacco
And thank the land for my heart
I’m still here in the morning
Still here, still true
