“Scroll down to the end of the article to listen to music.”
Introduction
There’s something about a father-daughter duet that just melts your heart, isn’t there? When I first stumbled across Rory and Indy Feek’s rendition of “Papa What If,” I found myself smiling through tears. This isn’t just any performance—it’s a window into a relationship built on love, resilience, and the purest form of connection.
The song itself has a rich history. Originally written by the legendary Shel Silverstein (yes, the same creative mind behind beloved children’s books like “The Giving Tree” and “Where the Sidewalk Ends”), it was first recorded as “Daddy What If” by Bobby Bare and his son in the early 1970s. Rory Feek has shared that he first heard the song as an eight-year-old boy in Kansas, riding through cornfields in his father’s old Buick, singing along with the radio. Isn’t it beautiful how music creates these threads through generations?
For their version, Rory made a thoughtful change—switching “Daddy” to “Papa,” which is what little Indiana calls him. The way he taught her the song speaks volumes about his dedication as a father. He typed out the lyrics and drew pictures with crayons and markers to help her understand which parts she would sing. According to those who’ve followed their story, Indy was so excited to learn the song that she wanted to practice at every opportunity.
What makes this performance particularly touching is the context of their family story. Indiana is Rory’s daughter with his late wife, Joey Feek, who passed away from cervical cancer in 2016 when Indy was just two years old. Joey and Rory were a beloved country music duo (Joey+Rory), known not just for their musical talent but for their deep faith and genuine love story.
Since Joey’s passing, Rory has been raising Indy as a single father, documenting their journey through his blog and occasional musical performances. The way Indy looks up at her father throughout the video, with that adorable smile and those eyes full of admiration, tells you everything you need to know about the beautiful job he’s doing.
The song itself is structured as a sweet conversation between a child and parent. Indy asks innocent “what if” questions about the world—what if the sun stopped shining, what if the wind stopped blowing—and Rory responds with reassuring answers that reflect the unconditional love of a parent. It’s the kind of exchange that happens in living rooms and on front porches across the world, but rarely gets captured so beautifully in song.
What strikes me most about their performance is its authenticity. There’s no elaborate production or fancy studio work—just a father and daughter sitting together, sharing a moment of connection through music. In our often over-produced, filtered world, there’s something refreshingly genuine about that.
The video was first shared on Father’s Day, when Indy woke Rory up with a card and gift. As he wrote in the video description, her excitement inspired him to “wish all the Papa’s out there a Happy Father’s Day too” by sharing their duet.
Viewers have responded with overwhelming emotion, many commenting that Joey must be “smiling from heaven” seeing her husband and daughter’s beautiful relationship. One commenter poignantly noted: “After our daughter passed we really never knew the true meaning of the phrase ‘Capture every moment. Because you never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.’ You are doing amazing with that precious girl.”
In a world that often moves too fast, “Papa What If” reminds us to slow down and cherish these fleeting moments of childhood wonder and parental love. It’s not just a song—it’s a celebration of the questions that build bridges between generations and the answers that form the foundation of a child’s security in this big, sometimes confusing world.