[Verse 1] I was waiting by the front steps Had my good shoes shining clean Had a speech about the way things are And what the whole thing means I had every window measured Every question in its place Then something slipped behind me And put a new look on your face I said, “Baby, I can explain it” You said, “Maybe you should wait” While I was watching the doorway Something came in through the gate [Chorus] The truth got a side door It don’t always knock Sometimes it comes barefoot While you’re watching the clock You can bolt up the front room You can swear you know the floor But just when you think you got it— The truth got a side door [Verse 2] There’s a man down at the corner Says he knows who’s doing what He can tell you who’s the problem Before the coffee’s even hot He says, “Son, I’ve seen enough now I know exactly how it goes” But everybody looks real simple When you’re standing too far off I’ve been that man on Monday By Friday, maybe not Funny how one little detail Can rearrange the whole damn plot [Chorus] The truth got a side door It don’t always knock Sometimes it comes laughing At the key inside the lock You can label every window You can number every floor Then somebody says, “Come look at this”— The truth got a side door [Bridge] A fact can be a flashlight And still not light the room You can see the chair and table And miss the flowers coming through So tell me what you noticed I’ll tell you what I missed Maybe neither one is foolish Maybe seeing works like this [Breakdown — backing vocals answering] Lead: Did you see it? Backing: Not all of it. Lead: Did you hear it? Backing: Not all of it. Lead: Do you know? Backing: A little bit. Lead: Well, baby— All: Leave the door unlocked. [Final Chorus] The truth got a side door Let it come and go You don’t have to chase it You don’t have to know Every room has corners Every answer leaves you more So when certainty comes calling— Check the side door The truth got a side door Yeah, the truth got a side door [Outro] You didn’t see that? Neither did I. Keep it open, baby. Keep it open.
