Country artists have been writing and singing about home since the beginning. From Dolly Parton's "Tennessee Mountain Home" to Miranda Lambert's "The House That Built Me," stories about home — whether it's leaving home, returning home, or building anew — will always be deeply meaningful.
Ultimately, it's the memories we make and share inside the home that mean the most. But that doesn't stop us from getting sentimental about the house itself. Singer-songwriter Mike Thomas explores the true meaning of home — and the pain of leaving one you've built — on the reflective "Bricks, Boards & Stone," from his forthcoming album Diamonds (out March 24, 2023)
"I wrote this song in the late summer of 2020. The COVID pandemic was dragging on, and, like most families, we were spending more of our time at home," Thomas tells Wide Open Country. "A few months earlier, my wife Sarah and I decided that we'd put our home up for sale before the end of the year. It was a decision she'd come to terms with long before I could. This was the place I thought I'd stay until they put me in the ground or the old folks' home. We'd built that home 12 years earlier on a piece of land she found in a newspaper ad. We'd raised our kids there, buried two dogs out back and made lifelong friends just down the road. As much as we loved that house, we loved the small-town community even more. Leaving was hard, but at that point in our lives it was the right call for our family for a lot of reasons.
One evening as we were wrapping up our daily walk, Sarah and I were reflecting on all the memories we'd made in that house. We were only a few days away from putting the house on the market, and we were talking things through one last time just to make sure we were making the right decision. As we rounded the curve and our house came into view, Sarah mentioned that we'd carry the memories we'd made there for years to come. I replied, 'You're right. After all, the house is just bricks, boards, and stone.'
A few minutes later we returned to the house. I walked into our bedroom and grabbed my guitar. The lyrics and melody came quickly. It was an emotional write. This song was the final step in putting closure on a chapter of our lives. It ultimately helped me come to terms with leaving a place I loved.
I initially wasn't sure if I'd release this song, but the more I reflected on it, the timelier it felt. I read an article around that same time that an estimated 40 million Americans could lose their homes due to the pandemic. I remember going to bed that night feeling fortunate to have had the chance to make that tough decision on our own, when so many families had no choice at all.
My hope is that this one will resonate with anyone who's ever had to leave a place they've dearly loved."
