Grammy Award winning Christian rapper, TobyMac released a heartbreaking tribute to his son, Truett Foster McKeehan, who passed away unexpectedly in October, at the age of 21. “21 Years is a song I wrote about the recent passing of my firstborn son,” said TobyMac. “I loved him with all my heart. Until something in life hits you this hard, you never know how you will handle it.”
“Writing this song felt like an honest confession of the questions, pain, anger, doubt, mercy and promise that describes the journey I’m probably only beginning. The rest is yet to come.”
TobyMac explained his purpose in writing the song:
“The last couple of months have been the hardest I’ve ever faced. Thank you for the love and support. Part of my process has always been to write about the things I’m going through, but this went to a whole new level. What started out as getting some of my thoughts and feelings about losing my firstborn son down on paper, ended up a song. ’21 Years’ is a song I never wanted to write. I hope it’s for someone out there, or maybe it’s just for me.”
The lyrics portray a man waiting for the first wave of grief to break as he asks God what has become of his prodigal son, his beautiful son.
Woke up cuz the light poured in
Day 2 let the flood begin
Day 1 left me in my bed
I can barely remember it
Heart shattered in a thousand ways
They tell me pain gonna come in waves
They tell me I’m gonna be ok
I’m still waiting for the first to break
Why would You give and then take him away
Suddenly end could You not let it fade
What I would give for a couple of days, a couple of days
Is it just across the Jordan
Or a city in the stars
Are you singing with the angels
Are you happy where you are
Well until this show is over
And you run into my arms
God has you in heaven
But I have you in my heart
I just can’t make sense of this
Everything is so dissonant
Somebody said he was meant for this
But I’m just straight missing him
I wanna wake up to your laugh at 2
Catch you when you steal my shoes
Say good morning, afternoon
Talk you through those “Alex blues”
Listen to your latest beats
Talk about what the lyrics mean
Venmo you another loan
See you do your 2nd show
You said you’d turn, you would turn it around
Thought that you had time to straighten it out
Told me that you were my prodigal son
But this isn’t home
Did he see You from a long way off
Running to him with a Father’s heart
Did You wrap him up inside Your arms
And let him know, that he’s home
21 years makes a man full-grown
21 years, what a beautiful loan
21 years, I love everyone
Thank you, Lord, for my beautiful son
The Tennessean reports “McKeehan, age 21, died Oct. 23, 2019, in Nashville. Metro Nashville Police Department did not initially disclose a cause of death. An aspiring rapper, McKeehan penned songs under the pseudonyms TRU, Moxie, and as truDog.”
