The Call – John Anderson

I remember that old rotary phone
Momma sitting in the kitchen alone
Waiting for my daddy to check in
Six o’clock, right on the dot
Collect from some truck stop
She’d hear his voice and all was well again

Long distance didn’t matter
As long as she got, the call

Eighteen and running wild
I sat there as the sheriff dialed
The phone rang in the middle of the night
I could hear the hurt in daddy’s voice
He said, “Son, you had a choice
And you know the difference ‘tween wrong and right”

And he said, “Let this be a lesson
And I hope it wakes you up”, the call

There’s calls you love to take
And calls you hate to make
Some can cost a fortune
And some just pocket change

I got the call at three AM
The doctor said, “Time to come on in
Your daddy’s here and he’s waiting in her room”
I held her hand at the side of the bed
A million questions running through my head
Momma, how do I live without you?

And she said, “Only God has the answers
But you’ve got to make the call”

There’s calls you love to take
And calls you hate to make
Some can cost a fortune
And some just pocket change

Long distance doesn’t matter
But you’ve got to make, the call