A winter collection of original songs
Cold Mercies
R. J. Carter
Six songs about faith, sacrifice, family, forgiveness, and the quiet acts of mercy that carry people through the coldest seasons of life.
About the Collection
Cold Mercies is not a conventional Christmas album. Its songs look beyond lights, decorations, and holiday routines to the people whose love, labor, faith, and forgiveness make the season meaningful.
The collection opens with “Couldn’t Find God,” a song about a man who searches everywhere for faith before realizing that God has been searching for him. “Hard Men” considers the possibility of mercy for men carrying guilt, regret, and the consequences of the lives they have lived.
“I’ll Take Care of You (Mya’s Song)” is a promise of devotion, while “Kerri’s Smile (What I Want for Christmas)” finds the most valuable gift in the happiness of someone loved.
Christmas was bought with the hours our fathers spent working where the sun could not reach them.
At the heart of the collection is “Christmas and Coal Dust,” inspired by a Southern Illinois coal-mining family. Told through the eyes of a child, the song remembers a father going beneath the ground so his children could wake to presents beneath the tree—an ordinary act of sacrifice understood only years later.
The physical CD also includes an unlisted sixth song, “A Knight Before Christmas,” a bonus story-song created for children and families.
Track Listing
- Couldn’t Find God3:54
- Hard Men5:28
- I’ll Take Care of You (Mya’s Song)6:12
- Kerri’s Smile (What I Want for Christmas)3:27
- Christmas and Coal Dust4:28