[Verse 1] I heard you singing through the midnight hum, trying to hide the tremble of where you’re coming from. But every mask you wear still lets the truth come through, ’cause no disguise on earth can hide a heart like you. [Pre-Chorus] You call it weakness, but I call it light, a little spark that kept you warm at night. [Chorus] You can paint your smile, you can play your style, but an old bluesman sees behind it all the while. So dance your story, walk your crooked mile — I’ve seen your truth, my friend, and that truth makes an old bluesman smile. [Verse 2] I saw the hurt you never said out loud, the little storms you carried like a traveling cloud. Yet even in the rain you kept a gentle shine, the kind that slips through cracks and says, “the world is still mine.” [Pre-Chorus 2] You call it failure — but it’s human grace, the kind a seasoned soul can read like lace. [Chorus] You can paint your smile, you can play your style, but an old bluesman sees behind it all the while. So dance your story, walk your crooked mile — I’ve seen your truth, my friend, and that truth makes an old bluesman smile. [Spoken Bridge – lightly over the banjo] You write your wounds like poems, you hide your hope like wine, but to these old ears of mine a real heart always shines. Don’t fret the veil you’re wearing — I saw you anyway… and you’re beautiful. [Final Chorus] You can paint your smile, you can play your style, but an old bluesman sees behind it all the while. Keep walking forward, rest a little while — I’ve seen your truth, my friend, and tonight… you make an old bluesman smile.
