Megan Moroney Honors Uncle Lost on 9/11 With Emotional Song ‘Heaven By Noon’

September 11 is a painful day for all Americans, especially for those who lost loved ones in the tragic attacks of 2001. For Megan Moroney, the day carries deep personal weight. She lost her uncle, Dennis Gerard Moroney, on 9/11.

Today, on the 24th anniversary of the attacks that claimed nearly 3,000 lives, Moroney shared a remembrance post on social media in his honor. The photo featured his name engraved on the 9/11 Memorial at the site where the World Trade Center once stood, adorned with a single white flower.

While Moroney has rarely spoken publicly about the loss, she poured her grief into her music with “Heaven By Noon,” a track on her latest album Am I Okay?

The song tells the story of someone grappling with the sudden loss of a loved one, reflecting on their final conversation and the words left unsaid. The lyrics capture raw anger and sadness as she sings: “I know where you’re at/ And there ain’t no time at all/ No heartbreak, no more pain/ Just streets of gold you get to walk/ When I talked to you this mornin’/ I said, ‘I’ll see you soon’/ Would have said so much more if I only knew/ That you’d be in Heaven by noon.” 

During a conversation on Today’s Country Radio with Kelleigh Bannen on Apple Music Country, the Georgia native briefly opened up about the loss of her uncle and the inspiration behind the song. 

“A lot of people don’t know this, but my uncle died on 9/11, so I thought about my aunt when I was writing that song because… the last thing they talked about was an oil change. And so that’s probably not what she would’ve said, wanted to say to him if she knew it was going to be the last time,” Moroney shared.”It’s definitely a heart wrenching song, and I hope that it helps.”

In a separate interview with the LA Times, Moroney explained that she and her co-writers approached the song from a universal perspective, hoping that anyone who has experienced loss could find their own story within it.

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“I think my loyal fans know what it’s about, and maybe that makes it more real to them. This was my first time writing a song about grief, but I kind of wanted it to be a universal song that wasn’t so hyper-focused on my situation,” she explained. “I wrote it with Jessie Jo Dillon and Matt Jenkins, and we talked about people they’ve lost, and I was like, ‘OK, this is how it felt for my family — is this lining up with your story, too?’”

Earlier this year, she performed the song in honor of members of the music industry who passed away during an in memoriam segment at Country Radio Seminar. It’s one of the few times she has delivered a performance of the song live.