2026 Competition Entry:
Tokens Of Hope by J. Stephen Smith
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Lyrics
Tokens of Hope
[verse]
Separated from her sister
The only family she had known
Bound by a childhood promise
To come find her when she was grown
[Verse]
In a dusty Greyhound station
Nearly 30 years gone by
Two little girls in celebration
Wipe the tears from each other’s eyes
[chorus]
This moment of joy
These tears of relief
When fear is destroyed
In the absence of grief
When our tokens of hope
Are finally redeemed
That sounds like heaven to me
[verse]
He thought he knew what joy meant
Only a notion in his mind.
Until returning from deployment
Holding his baby girl for the first time
[chorus]
This moment of joy
These tears of relief
When fear is destroyed
In the absence of grief
When our tokens of hope
Are finally redeemed
That sounds like heaven to me
[bridge]
Heard tell ‘bout those streets of gold
And angels on the wing
That heaven is a place to behold
A million choirs stand and sing
Now, I can’t help believing it’s more than just a sight to see
But a place where our brief tokens of hope will last for all eternity.
[chorus]
This moment of joy
These tears of relief
When fear is destroyed
In the absence of grief
When our tokens of hope
Are finally redeemed
That’s how Heaven ought to be
[verse]
Separated from her sister
The only family she had known
Bound by a childhood promise
To come find her when she was grown
[Verse]
In a dusty Greyhound station
Nearly 30 years gone by
Two little girls in celebration
Wipe the tears from each other’s eyes
[chorus]
This moment of joy
These tears of relief
When fear is destroyed
In the absence of grief
When our tokens of hope
Are finally redeemed
That sounds like heaven to me
[verse]
He thought he knew what joy meant
Only a notion in his mind.
Until returning from deployment
Holding his baby girl for the first time
[chorus]
This moment of joy
These tears of relief
When fear is destroyed
In the absence of grief
When our tokens of hope
Are finally redeemed
That sounds like heaven to me
[bridge]
Heard tell ‘bout those streets of gold
And angels on the wing
That heaven is a place to behold
A million choirs stand and sing
Now, I can’t help believing it’s more than just a sight to see
But a place where our brief tokens of hope will last for all eternity.
[chorus]
This moment of joy
These tears of relief
When fear is destroyed
In the absence of grief
When our tokens of hope
Are finally redeemed
That’s how Heaven ought to be
Author
Bio
J. Stephen Smith is an American singer-songwriter and music industry entrepreneur with over forty years of writing experience. His 2010 album Land of Plenty, recorded with The Redemption Center, received critical recognition — even as far away as Melbourne, Australia, where a reviewer compared his songwriting to the work of Mark Heard and T-Bone Burnett — and the Aquarian Weekly praised its “gritty hooks, intelligent lyrics and heartfelt vocals” in the tradition of Steve Earle. Drawing on the literary folk sensibility of Bruce Cockburn, the narrative grit of Steve Earle, the spiritual Americana of the late Mark Heard, and the fearless honesty of Lucinda Williams, Smith’s songs explore faith, loss, grace, and the human condition without easy answers.
In 1995 Smith founded Blind Records while living in Rochester, New York — initially as a platform to get unsigned and unheard artists airplay at local radio stations. The label grew to release several compilation albums under the series title The Immutable Record, and later released full albums by Jesse Sprinkle, Every Eye Closed, Mojo Heroes and The Redemption Center.
In 1995 Smith founded Blind Records while living in Rochester, New York — initially as a platform to get unsigned and unheard artists airplay at local radio stations. The label grew to release several compilation albums under the series title The Immutable Record, and later released full albums by Jesse Sprinkle, Every Eye Closed, Mojo Heroes and The Redemption Center.
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