Lyrics
Dear sweet lover don’t you cry
Cause I have made it to the other side
And I am free of fear and pain
There’s a guitar tune and a halo gained
I know you think I should be there right now
And you asked for answers and still don’t know how
But I’m sure proud of what we left behind
Cause that boys smile is the same as mine
Dear sweet lover don’t you cry
Yeah I know you wish that we had more time
But we lived and loved with all we had
And we had each other when the times got bad
They found us a spot in the tall pine trees
It’s picture perfect and a sight to see
And that river runs so crystal blue
Now the only thing that I’m missing is you
Yeah the only thing that I’m missing is you
Dear sweet lover don’t you cry
Cause I’ve made it to the other side
And I am free of fear and pain
There’s a guitar tune and a halo gained
Dear sweet lover don’t you cry
Cause I’ve made it to the other side
And I am free of fear and pain
There’s a guitar tune and a halo gained
There’s a guitar tune and a halo gained
About
Usually this is the place where I tell you what I felt when I wrote the song, but I didn’t write this one so I can’t do that. I can tell you about my friend Ross though, who wrote this song for his wife and son after being diagnosed with cancer. I met him on Twitch where he played country and folk songs and brought warmth into every stream with his smile and kind nature. We spent time in each other’s streams and eventually I invited him to be a guest on mine where we chatted, laughed and took turns playing songs. I remember being blown away by his incredible original songs, he hasn’t released any and only plays them on stream and social media - but they are so good! We kept in touch and became friends.
I remember getting a message from Ross telling me he needs immediate surgery and how optimistic he was. He even made little jokes to make sure the conversation doesn’t feel too heavy. That’s who he was, always trying to uplift people, always making sure that everyone’s ok. I made sure to regularly check in and followed his journey through hospitals, through rising and falling hopes. For a while it looked like he was going to make it.
I was on tour in Poland, in the back of a car returning from a show when I got the message from Ross. He thanks me, my family and my community for our support and lets me know that he’s starting end of life care soon. I can barely see my phone through my tears. He tells me I shouldn’t cry, that he loved every single moment of his life. I felt helpless - I wanted to do something, anything. A couple of months earlier Ross had sent me the chords to his song “Dear Sweet Lover” and I had been playing it on stream, I know he enjoys my cover. I had thought about nudging him to record it once he is better so one of his originals could be released at least. Now I ask him if I may record and release it for him to immortalize his music after he’s gone. He replies “It would fill my heart so much”.
I wrote my producer Dominic and we raced against time, restoring Ross vocals from a TikTok, arranging, singing producing - we want Ross to hear his song before he’s gone. He got to listen to a first demo before he passes away. I am so grateful that I got to release this song to honor my friend. All proceeds from the song will go to his wife Jordan and their little son, whose strength and resilience through this all have been incredible. I’ll stop my story here and leave you with a few words Jordan wrote about Ross and the song, a huge thank you to her for taking the time to write this:
‚Ross was the kind of person who never met a stranger. His positivity and joy drew people in everywhere he went. He lived his life to the fullest and found the bright side in every situation. He was a talented musician and songwriter. His storytelling capabilities and poetry turned his stories into beautiful songs.
Ross got so much joy from performing his music live, and when he couldn’t find karaoke, he started streaming his singing live online. In true Ross fashion he quickly built a community of other live streaming musicians who became good friends and great supporters.
Ross was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer in the spring of 2024. When Ross got sick, he wrote this song for his wife and young son. Shortly after he recorded himself singing, he lost his voice due to complications from his treatments. Being a musician and singer this was devastating for him, but even through it all, he kept his positivity and continued to make new friends and live his life to the fullest. In the end, Ross said he wasn’t afraid to die, and he was happy with the life he lived. The only thing he was scared of was leaving his family behind. This song is a testament to the love he had for his family and the production of this song is a testament to the love his friends also had for him. To have his song finished by a friend is a gift and an honor no amount of words can describe.’
Credits
Lyrics and music by Ross William Henderson
Lead vocals by Ross William Henderson and Luna Keller
Harmony vocals by Luna Keller
Produced and Mixed by Dominic Romano
Additional guitars by Alden Heckel
Special thanks to Jordan Henderson for the support and feedback during the production of this song.
