Just Let There Be Applause
As I get older (have I mentioned that I’m old?) I think more about what might await me when I pass. We all have our own ideas of what happens after death. Some are informed by our various faith traditions, and some are individual hopes and speculations. For me, I believe family members will be there to greet me on that occasion. It will be a sweet and wonderful reunion. But, as a performer for a good chunk of my life, I have one small request. I want applause!!! I survived and possibly even thrived for XX number (you can guess!) of years on this earth, and I want the difficulty and pain of that survival recognized in the same way that all artists, songwriters, musicians, etc. understand. I want APPLAUSE!!!
My music buddy and talented bandmate Xavier Hay provided the amazing banjo licks on this track. Did I mention that he is the Utah State Champion banjo picker for 2024. He hates it when brag on him like that, so let’s just let it be our secret!
Lyrics
Lyrics
© 2025 by Craig Mecham
When my life is finished,
When my final race is run,
When I cross that great beyond
And see the faces one by one—
Before I hug my Maker,
Before I kiss my mom,
Before I shake my father’s hand,
Or raise my voice in song—
When I step through that misty veil
And know I belong to God
Before the joyful tears can fall--
Just let there be applause.
For I have lived my life on earth,
Played stages great and small,
And the sound of hands a-clapping
Is the sweetest sound of all.
I never drew the kind of crowds
That shook the rafters down,
No thunderous roars or spotlight dreams,
No fame in every town.
But if there's grace in honest work,
In songs both true and flawed,
Then let the angels clap their hands—
Just let there be applause.
Bridge:
It’s not the fame I longed for,
Nor riches I could spend—
Just the sound that says I mattered
At the journey’s quiet end.
So, when I cross that final bridge
Amid ancestors' oohs and aaahs,
Before I touch those golden streets—
Just let there be applause.