Help Is On The Way (Maybe Midnight)

Album: Life After Death (2021)
Charted: 124
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • On October 23, 2019, Truett, TobyMac's 21-year-old son, was found dead at his home in Nashville of an accidental drug overdose of fentanyl and amphetamines.

    The inspiration for the song emerged during a challenging period marked not only by the loss of Truett but also by the immediate onset of quarantine, casting a shadow over life as we knew it. Amid this darkness, TobyMac turned to the Psalms and found solace in the words that declared, "God is rolling up His sleeves." (Psalm 98 v1) The vivid imagery struck a chord, transforming his sense of hopelessness into a proclamation.

    "Help Is On The Way (Maybe Midnight)" reflects the powerful promise that the God of all creation is actively intervening on our behalf, assuring us we aren't forgotten.
  • Psalm 98:1 (The Message translation) reads:

    Sing to God a brand-new song. He's made a world of wonders! He rolled up his sleeves, He set things right.

    "It's like the promise of God - the God of all Creation - rolling up His sleeves on my behalf, on our behalf," explained TobyMac in a video. "It felt like a promise to me. It felt like something a big God that I can count on cares about little me."
  • TobyMac co-wrote and co-produced "Help Is On The Way (Maybe Midnight)" with former Hawk Nelson guitarist Micah Kuiper. It finds him shifting gears from a string of grief-stricken songs, including "21 Years," "'Faithfully" and "I'm Sorry (A lament)."

    I've written some songs in quarantine and since my son passed but all of them were really sad," TobyMac told SiriusXM. "All of them really had a 'walk in that dark valley' [feeling]. This is the first song of hope I've written, and it's because I actually grabbed onto some real hope."
  • Eric Welch directed the song's music video, which features TobyMac's son, Judah McKeehan, as a special guest. It won the Short Form Video Of The Year award at The 52nd Annual GMA Dove Awards (2021) on October 19, 2021.
  • "Help Is On the Way (Maybe Midnight)" is the opening track of TobyMac's ninth studio album, Life After Death. The album confronts grief head-on, with songs like "21 Years" offering raw and emotional reflections on loss. Tracks like "Help Is On The Way (Maybe Midnight)" and "The Goodness" navigate the darkness with glimmers of hope and faith.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Jesus Christ Superstar: Ted Neeley Tells the Inside Story

Jesus Christ Superstar: Ted Neeley Tells the Inside StorySong Writing

The in-depth discussion about the making of Jesus Christ Superstar with Ted Neeley, who played Jesus in the 1973 film.

Billy Steinberg - "Like A Virgin"

Billy Steinberg - "Like A Virgin"They're Playing My Song

The first of Billy's five #1 hits was the song that propelled Madonna to stardom. You'd think that would get you a backstage pass, wouldn't you?

Lou Gramm - "Waiting For A Girl Like You"

Lou Gramm - "Waiting For A Girl Like You"They're Playing My Song

Gramm co-wrote this gorgeous ballad and delivered an inspired vocal, but the song was the beginning of the end of his time with Foreigner.

James Bond Theme Songs

James Bond Theme SongsMusic Quiz

How well do you know the 007 theme songs?

Elton John

Elton JohnFact or Fiction

Does he have beef with Gaga? Is he Sean Lennon's godfather? See if you can tell fact from fiction in the Elton John edition.

Richie Wise (Kiss producer, Dust)

Richie Wise (Kiss producer, Dust)Songwriter Interviews

Richie talks about producing the first two Kiss albums, recording "Brother Louie," and the newfound appreciation of his rock band, Dust.