**[Intro – Soft piano, distant organ, intimate raspy vocal]** Mmm, yeah... I've been good at telling stories Been bad at telling truth Had the whole damn world believing But I ain't foolin' you **[Verse 1 – Warm, restrained, conversational]** I can walk into a room with a smile on my face Shake a couple hands, tell 'em everything's great Say I'm doing just fine, yeah, I'm living the dream While the whole damn house is falling down around me I can laugh about the things that nearly broke my heart Make a little joke when I'm falling apart I've got a thousand ways to hide what I've been through But every single one falls short with you **[Pre-Chorus – Building intensity]** You don't buy the lines I'm selling You don't need me to explain You just put your hand on my shoulder And I come undone again **[Chorus – Explosive, soulful, full band]** I can lie to the mirror, lie to the crowd Tell everybody I got it figured out Put on a brave face, swear I'm bulletproof But I ain't foolin' you I can bury my hurt underneath my pride Say it don't matter when it's killing me inside I can fool this whole world with the things I do But I ain't foolin' you No, I ain't foolin' you **[Verse 2 – Driving bass, gritty vocal]** Daddy taught me never let 'em see you cry Keep your head up, boy, keep your feelings inside So I learned how to carry every stone on my own Made a prison out of being strong Then you came along with those honest eyes Saw the scared little boy that I kept inside And you never tried to make me someone new You just loved the man I never showed to you **[Pre-Chorus – Stronger, gospel harmonies enter]** And when my hands start shaking When the weight gets hard to bear You don't ask me to be stronger You just tell me you're right there **[Chorus – Full band, soaring vocals]** I can lie to the mirror, lie to the crowd Tell everybody I got it figured out Put on a brave face, swear I'm bulletproof But I ain't foolin' you I can bury my hurt underneath my pride Say it don't matter when it's killing me inside I can fool this whole world with the things I do But I ain't foolin' you No, I ain't foolin' you **[Bridge – Music drops to piano and organ, raw emotional delivery]** And maybe I ain't half as tough As I always said I'd be Maybe all this time I've been running From the man inside of me But if you can love these broken pieces If you can hold me through the rain Maybe I don't have to hide it Maybe I can let you see the pain **[Final Chorus – Key lift, huge gospel backing vocals, vocal runs]** I can lie to the mirror, lie to the crowd Tell everybody I got it figured out But when these walls come crashing down You're the one I turn to now I don't have to bury my hurt underneath my pride Don't have to say I'm fine when I'm dying inside Let the whole world believe what it wants to believe 'Cause you see the real me Oh, I ain't foolin' you No, I ain't foolin' you **[Outro – Stripped piano, breathy vocal]** I've been good at telling stories Been bad at telling truth But the best thing about loving you... Is I ain't gotta fool you. Mmm... no, I ain't gotta fool you.
