Bullets words [Verse 1 — intimate, spacious] I've met a thousand kinds of souls, More colors than a rainbow knows, Some burn like little dying stars, Some freeze where no warm daylight goes. And every mind's a different moon, With mountains hidden on its side, So how could I expect my truth To look the same through someone else's eyes? [Pre-Chorus — gently rising] I send a sentence from my heart, Simple as a paper bird— But somewhere between me and you, It becomes another word. [Chorus — wide, memorable] You put my words on Voyager, And send them past the stars, To galaxies I never knew, To meanings never ours. I said, “Stay”—you heard, “I own you.” I said, “Go”—you heard, “I don't care.” How did a whisper from my heart Become a thunderstorm out there? I can choose the words I give you, I can mean each one I say— But I can't choose the worlds you make From the words I send your way. [Verse 2 — beat enters] So I became a careful man, With customs at my lips, Inspecting every syllable Before it leaves the ship. I weighed my jokes, I searched my smiles, I measured every pause, Afraid a harmless little phrase Would somehow grow another cause. And silence started looking safe, A harbor without waves— But every word I wouldn't speak Became another kind of cage. [Pre-Chorus] So I locked the doors around my mouth Whenever my heart spoke— Thinking silence couldn't burn, Thinking silence made no smoke. [Chorus — stronger] You put my words on Voyager, And send them past the stars, To galaxies I never knew, To meanings never ours. I said, “I miss you”—you heard weakness. I said, “I'm hurt”—you heard attack. You took a candle from my window And brought a forest fire back. I can choose the words I give you, I can mean each one I say— But I can't choose the worlds you make From the words I send your way. [Bridge — music drops, nearly whispered] But if I silence every truth For fear of being misunderstood, Then every lie I've never told Still wins by killing something good. So let the planets turn their way, Let every mind have its own sky. I'll speak with kindness, speak with care— But I won't teach my heart to hide. [Final Chorus — full, soaring] So take my words on Voyager, Send them beyond the sun, Build a thousand universes From every little one. You may hear a different story, You may see another view— But I won't spend my only life Explaining every star to you. I'll be careful with the words I give, I'll be honest when I say them— But I won't carry every world Another mind creates from them. [Outro — instruments falling away] My heart will speak. My mouth won't close. Where words will land, Nobody knows. So let them fly... Let them fly... Past the moon, Past the sun— I know where they came from.
