Lyrics

The Ones Who Wait
Lyrics by Drew Dale

Verse 1
We stand in rows of folded flags and quiet light,
We speak the names that never grew to old men’s height.
We lay our wreaths, we bow our heads, we keep the time,
We mark the years with bugle calls and bells that chime.
We honour those who answered, those who never came home,
Their stories carved in stone, their faces in the dawn.

Chorus
But who holds the hands of the ones who wait?
Who counts the nights and keeps the empty plate?
Who learns to laugh again when the silence stays?
Who carries the years and the long, slow ache?
We raise our flags and we sing their names aloud,
But we must hold the ones who stand beneath that shroud.

Verse 2
There’s a mother by the window with a letter worn and thin,
A father on the porch who keeps the light for him.
A wife folds the shirts, a child keeps a small toy,
A mate remembers jokes and the way he used to laugh with joy.
They stitch the days together with a steady, quiet hand,
They learn to live with absence, try to understand.

Chorus
But who holds the hands of the ones who wait?
Who counts the nights and keeps the empty plate?
Who learns to laugh again when the silence stays?
Who carries the years and the long, slow ache?
We raise our flags and we sing their names aloud,
But we must hold the ones who stand beneath that shroud.

Bridge
Bring them a chair, bring them a song, bring them a cup of tea,
Sit with their stories, let them tell what they still need.
Not every wound is visible, not every grief is shown,
Some battles are fought in kitchens when the lights are low.

Verse 3
So on the day we gather, lay the poppies, sound the drum,
Let’s walk the rows together, let no one stand alone.
Hold the hands of mothers, fathers, children, mates and friends,
Share the weight of memory ‘cause the aching never ends.
We’ll honour those who never came, and those who came back changed,
But we’ll also honour those who wait, whose lives were rearranged.

Chorus — Final
So we’ll hold the hands of the ones who wait,
Count the nights and set another plate.
We’ll learn to laugh again when the silence stays,
We’ll carry the years and the long, slow ache.
We raise our flags and we sing their names aloud,
And we will hold the ones who stand beneath that shroud.

Outro
Bring them a chair, bring them a song, bring them a light to keep,
We’ll stand together in the quiet, and we’ll watch and we’ll weep.

© 2026 Andrew Stephen Dale. All rights reserved.
Unauthorised copying, distribution, or use of these lyrics or musical materials is prohibited.