Old Homeplaces

WRITTEN BY: OWEN TEMPLE & JEFF BURKHART

 
I pulled up to the house
Parked on the curb out on the street
“For sale” sign stuck in the yard
I went up and wiped my feet
On a welcome home mat
Opened a door and out the memories swirled
When we were young, this front room
Was the center of the world

Old homeplaces are more than wood and rocks
Don’t try to dust ‘em off again
Time’s rusted all the locks
It was the people who lived there
That held you close and who cared
So love with grit and grace
That’s how you hold the place

Stepped into the kitchen
Where the finest cooks I’ve ever known
Worked miracles on holidays
To make a house a home
In the living room was where we talked
And turned the ballgame on
Where we played guitars and I learned to sing
My grandad’s favorite song

Old homeplaces are more than wood and rocks
Don’t try to dust ‘em off again
Time’s rusted all the locks
It was the people who lived there
That held you close and who cared
So love with grit and grace
And that’s how you hold the place

We’re not built for walking backwards
But we can retrace our steps
You can’t live in old footprints
But you can take a rest
You were made for moving forward
You were moving forward way back then
You own all your memories
But you can’t buy home again

Old homeplaces are more than wood and rocks
Don’t try to dust ‘em off again
Time’s rusted all the locks
It was the people who lived there
That held you close and who cared
So love with grit and grace
That’s how you hold the place

The good times, the hard times
The playing in the yard times
It’s the smile on their face
That’s how you hold the place
Your memories are in amber
But the world’s gonna change
From the picture in your head
Till the whole street looks so strange

Old homeplaces are more than wood and rocks
Don’t try to dust ‘em off again
Time’s rusted all the locks
It was the people who lived there
That held you close and who cared
So love with grit and grace
That’s how you hold the place

Gotta love with grit and grace
And that’s how you hold the place

 

Produced by Gordy Quist
Recorded at The Finishing School, Austin, Texas
Mixed by Steve Christensen
Drums: Clint Simmons
Bass: Z Lynch
Guitar: Matt Tedder
Piano, Organ: Treavor Nealon
Harmony Vocals: Gordy Quist

©2026 Owen Temple Music (BMI) / Jeff Burkhart Music (BMI)