Verse 1
The baker lit his ovens
Long before the break of day
While half the town lay sleeping
And the stars still hung in place
By morning all his labour
Was scattered far and wide
And not a soul would know his face
As they ate at breakfast time
Chorus
They never knew your name
They never saw your hands
They never heard the little prayers
Or understood your plans
But somewhere in their ordinary day
A burden eased, a fear was healed
They never knew your name
But the warmth was real
Verse 2
A woman sat beside a bed
On another sleepless night
Watching over someone else’s world
Till morning brought the light
No headlines told her story
No crowd would ever cheer
Yet somebody saw another dawn
Because she had been there
Chorus
They never knew your name
They never saw your hands
They never heard the little prayers
Or understood your plans
But somewhere in their ordinary day
A burden eased, a fear was healed
They never knew your name
But the warmth was real
Verse 3
A farmer watched the seasons
Through the wind and driving rain
Mending fences in the winter cold
Then starting once again
The table filled with plenty
In homes he’d never see
And children grew up strong and well
From his quiet consistency
Verse 4
A teacher stayed behind one night
With papers left to read
Seeing something in a child
No one else believed
Years later that young dreamer
Would stand where hope revealed
A future built on patient words
Whose influence was concealed
Verse 5
A crew worked through the darkness
To mend a fallen line
High above the sleeping town
In bitter rain and time
By morning kettles whistled
And lamps began to glow
While few would ever stop to think
Of those out in the snow
Verse 6
A father took the overtime
When money had grown tight
Missing little moments
To keep tomorrow bright
The years passed all too quickly
As years so often will
Yet the roof stayed strong above them
And the cupboards never still
Verse 7
A mother carried burdens
That nobody could see
Holding worlds together
With remarkable dignity
The smallest acts of kindness
The daily unseen zeal
Can shape a hundred lives around us
Though few will know they’re real
Bridge
Some planted trees for strangers
Some built roads they’d never walk
Some carried stones for buildings
Where another child would talk
Some gave more than they imagined
Some gave more than they could feel
And most would never understand
How much their lives revealed
Final Chorus
They never knew your name
The world moved quickly on
The little things you gave away
Were gone before the dawn
But every kindness leaves a trace
No matter how concealed
They never knew your name
But the warmth was real
Outro
The lights in distant cities
The fires in distant homes
Were fed by countless ordinary souls
Unknown to those they warmed
And though their names were seldom spoken
And few would know their worth
They left a little more light in the world
Than when they found the earth
They never knew your name
But the warmth was real
Lyrics Michael Forty
Voice Michael Forty