Track 4 of the album Write Me Back by Sunday · 2026
Letter From Mama, Handwriting Slanted
by Nina Vale
“Mama's slanted handwriting in the drawer, yellow at the edges. I could only sing it once or twice before I had to stop.”
soul · tender soul · nostalgic soul · 3:36
Lyrics
Found it in the drawer, a letter, yellow edge Mama's slanted writing, a tiny little pledge Dear child, it starts out plain Hope you're dry out of the rain And I hear her voice in every loop and line Read it slow, read it slow Every word is something I know Mama's hand in blue-black ink Taught me how to feel and think Read it slow, read it slow Love is in the way the letters go She wrote about the garden and the neighbour's cat The price of bread, the Sunday hymn, and that She prayed for me each night Kept the kitchen light Just in case I came walking through the door Read it slow, read it slow Every word is something I know Mama's hand in blue-black ink Taught me how to feel and think Read it slow, read it slow Love is in the way the letters go There's a coffee ring Right beside her name And I smile, because it's her Always just the same Now I fold it back along the well-worn crease Tuck it in my Bible, where it rests in peace And I'll write back tonight With the Sunday evening light Slanted just like hers, and every word is true Read it slow, read it slow Every word is something I know Mama's hand in blue-black ink Taught me how to feel and think Read it slow, read it slow Love is in the way the letters go