TobyMac released a touching song yesterday as a tribute to his son’s death.
In the song, called “21 Years,” TobyMac wrestles with the pain of losing his 21-year-old son, Truett Foster McKeehan, who died unexpectedly in late October.
“’21 years’ is a song I wrote about the recent passing of my firstborn son, Truett Foster McKeehan,” TobyMac says about this personal song. “I loved him with all my heart. Until something in life hits you this hard, you never know how you will handle it. I am thankful that I have been surrounded by love, starting with God’s and extending to community near and far that have walked with us and carried us everyday. 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. One thing I know is that I am not alone. God didn’t promise us a life of no pain or even tragic death, but He did promise He would never leave us or forsake us. And I’m holding dearly to that promise for my son as well as myself.”
McKeehan was an aspiring rapper whose “heart was warm to the things of his King,” TobyMac says.
The chorus for “21 Years” is a sweet reminder that although McKeehan is in heaven, his father will always have him in his heart. Other lyrics in the song, though, reveal the burning questions and regrets TobyMac is dealing with in the aftermath of losing his son:
“I just can’t make sense of this / Everything is so dissonant / Somebody said he was meant for this / But I’m just straight missin’ him / I wanna wake up to your laugh at two / Catch you when you steal my shoes / Say good mornin’, afternoon / Talk you through those “Alex blues” (Alex blues) / Listen to your latest beats / Talk about what the lyrics mean / Venmo you another loan (Another loan) / See you do your second show.”
He also reveals insight into his son’s spiritual journey:
“You said you’d turn, you would turn it around (Turn it around) / Thought that you had time to straighten it out (Straighten it out) / Told me you were my prodigal son / But this isn’t home.”
Watch the music video in this article.
