American country and bluegrass duo Joey + Rory released their single “Suppertime” on February 12, 2016. The song was the 12th track on their seventh and final studio album, Hymns that are Important to Us. A centerpiece for memorial services, the talented duo delivers a heartwarming interpretation of the song that connects you spiritually to a transcendental experience. Their dreamy performance at Gaither Music TV feels like a soul-cleansing massage that directs you to a safe haven.
The husband-and-wife duo were signed to Sugar Hill Records after taking the third spot on the 2008 CMT competition Can You Duet. Since then, they have released chart-topping albums in the mid and early 2000s, including The Life of a Song (2008) and A Farmhouse Christmas (2011). Their rendition of “Cheater, Cheater” by the Duo Bomshel peaked at No. 30 on the Country Charts in early 2009.
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Adding flare to their flourishing career, Joey + Rory’s biggest hits gained recognition and won them the Country Music Association Award for Top New Vocal Duo of the Year in 2009, the Inspirational Country Music Award for Vocal Duo in 2011, and the Grammy Award for the Best Roots Gospel Album (Hymns that are Important to Us) in 2017.
With “Suppertime,” we will once again witness Joey + Rory’s natural chemistry on screen and their smooth rendition of the timeless tune.
For You
A Hymn of New Beginnings
Penned by Ira F. Stanphill, “Suppertime” was originally recorded by Jimmie Davis and Anita Kerr in 1953. Many artists have covered it, including Johnny Cash, Burl Ives, Pat Boone, and more.
Joey + Rory’s version, however, is a distinct poetic implication of death as the beginning of an eternal life in heaven. It brings a certain reassurance and comfort, knowing that we will be welcomed in heaven’s afterlife. Imagine a mother preparing the family’s supper and inviting everyone to sit and enjoy the food; her sweet, radiant voice is as enchanting as entering the pearly gates of heaven’s eternity. In the line “Come home, come home; It’s suppertime,” dinnertime was compared to the feeling of returning home to your mother’s arms.
The lyrics of the theme revolve around the belief that death is a transition to an everlasting life rather than an end to life on Earth. It welcomes new beginnings — a fresh start that conveys a message of hope and faith to all families and individuals who are lost spiritually. The song is an open letter to those in despair and sorrowful of what comes after death, it can bring relief knowing that there is a blissful life that awaits on the other side. The last line, “We’re going home at last; Child, you’re going home at last,” means that there is a place for you at the supper table waiting in your heavenly home.
Ease all your worries and pain while Joey + Rory’s dreamy cover of “Suppertime” cozy up your room.
