Beautiful Lie, Painful Truth

BEAUTIFUL LIE, PAINFUL TRUTH [INTRO — SPARSE • RESONATOR] Life met Death at the crossroads. Moon hanging low. Life said, “Death… there’s something I need to know.” [PAUSE] [VERSE 1 — SLOW • CONVERSATIONAL] “Why do they love me… but fear your name? Beg me to stay… then curse when you came? They dress me in flowers. They call me sweet youth. So why do they hate you?” [LONG PAUSE] Death said… “Because you’re a beautiful lie…” [STOP] “And I’m a painful truth.” [SLIDE ANSWERS] [VERSE 2] I heard those words… felt ’em down in my bones. Like an old church bell calling me home. I spent my years running from pain. Blaming the devil. Blaming the rain. But you can run till your shoes wear through… Sooner or later… truth catches you. [CHORUS — GENTLE GOSPEL LIFT] Give me the painful truth. Don’t make it pretty. I’ve swallowed enough lies to last me a lifetime. Let it hurt. Let it burn. Let it show me what I never learned. A beautiful lie might comfort you… But freedom… freedom needs the truth. [GOSPEL RESPONSE] Tell it true… [VERSE 3 — STRIP BACK] I carried anger like a stone. Fed it every night when I was alone. Thought letting go meant they had won. Thought forgiveness meant forgetting what they’d done. Then I saw that chain… clear as day. Their name was on it… [PAUSE] But I wore the weight. [RESONATOR RESPONSE] So I laid it down. Not for them. For me. [PRE-CHORUS — VERY SPARSE] Wrong was wrong. Pain was pain. I didn’t have to call it anything else. I just stopped carrying their darkness… inside myself. [CHORUS — WARMER] Give me the painful truth. Don’t make it pretty. I’ve swallowed enough lies to last me a lifetime. Let it hurt. Let it burn. Let it show me what I never learned. A beautiful lie might comfort you… But freedom… freedom needs the truth. [LOW MALE RESPONSE] Tell it true… Tell it true… [BREAKDOWN — VOICE + RESONATOR] Then Death sat down beside me. Said, “Why you so afraid of me?” I said, “Because you mean it’s over.” Death shook his head. “No, son… I mean you ain’t got forever.” [LONG PAUSE] “Knowing I’m coming… ought to teach you how to live.” [SLIDE] [VERSE 4 — DAWN ENTERS] Morning broke over the river. Gold through the trees. I felt one more breath come easy to me. No angels. No thunder. No heavenly sign. Just another sunrise… and a little more time. I can’t change yesterday. Can’t undo the pain. But my heart’s still beating. I’m still here today. [FINAL CHORUS — GOSPEL LIFT] Give me the painful truth. I don’t need pretty. I’ve wasted enough years hiding from living. Let it hurt. Let it heal. Give me something I know is real. I’ve been broken. I’ve been bruised. But I’m still standing… with something to choose. [LOW GOSPEL RESPONSE] Choose life… [LEAD] While I still can. Choose life… While I still can. [DROP TO RESONATOR] [OUTRO — ALMOST SPOKEN] Life looked at Death. Death looked at me. And suddenly… I understood. Life said, “You know I can’t promise forever.” I said, “You don’t have to.” [PAUSE] “Just give me today.” [SOFT GOSPEL HUM] Death is waiting. That much is true. But he ain’t called my name today… [LONG PAUSE] So I’ve still got… living to do. [FINAL SLIDE]