Holly Williams is a powerful singer and a songwriter. She writes songs from the heart and I've witnessed this song bring more than a few people to tears (I'm included). You may know Holly Williams as the daughter of Hank Williams Jr., and the granddaughter of Hank Williams, though the elder Hank died long before she was born.
But this song, "Waiting on June," is a story of her maternal grandparents, the other side of the family. Holly Williams wrote to us to tell us about the grandfather and grandmother this tear-jerker is about.
"Papaw and Granny are the grandparents with whom I spent an extraordinary amount of time, and learned so much from about what really matters in life. They lived on a cotton farm, went through WWII, raised four babies and were together from the time they could walk until their dying day. This is their word for word completely true bittersweet love story, that inspires me everyday."
The footage in this film comes from home movies of "Papaw and Granny." Seeing it interspersed with shots of Holly Williams putting her love for these people into song gives these familiar images the arc of a life lived together.
It's hard not to wish the pair could have heard this seven-minute song. "Waiting On June" can be found on Holly Williams' 2013 release called The Highway. You can see her perform this song and more at a Tiny Desk Concert earlier this year; there were few dry eyes that day.
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