Let 'em talk

Intro — guitar + soft Rhodes] Let ’em talk… I used to lose sleep over every word. Not anymore. [Verse 1] I used to chase every whisper Try to straighten every lie Knock on doors that never opened Just to prove what’s on my side I wore myself out explaining Things they never came to learn Some people don’t want the truth They just want their turn So let ’em have it Let ’em say my name If they need me as the villain I won’t stand there making my case [Pre-Chorus] I know where I’ve been I know what I’ve done I know the nights I fought battles Nobody knew I’d won So why am I begging strangers To see what I see? They can keep their version… I know me. [Chorus] Let them tell their story Let them paint me how they want Let them fill in all the spaces They were never there to watch I won’t spend another evening Trying to change somebody’s mind They can keep their version of me I know the one I lived. Let ’em talk. Let ’em talk. My peace ain’t theirs to give. ⸻ [Verse 2] Funny how a half-told story Travels faster than the truth And everybody knows your reasons Though they never walked with you They weren’t there behind the curtain When the whole damn room went dark They only saw the smoke above me They never saw the spark I used to need them to understand me Now I understand myself And that’s worth more than acceptance From everybody else [Pre-Chorus] Some will hear you Some never will Some already wrote the ending Before you told them how you feel So I won’t fight their imagination Trying to make them see They can keep their version… It doesn’t belong to me. [Chorus — drums hit harder] Let them tell their story Let them paint me how they want Let them fill in all the spaces They were never there to watch I won’t spend another evening Trying to change somebody’s mind They can keep their version of me I know the one I lived. Let ’em talk. Let ’em talk. My peace ain’t theirs to give. ⸻ [Bridge — drums disappear, vocal close to microphone] But if you come to understand me… Come with questions, not conclusions. Come to listen, not accuse. I’ll tell you every scar I’ve carried I’ll tell you where I got the bruise. But if you’ve already decided Who I am before I speak… Then there ain’t nothing left to explain. [Silence] Believe whatever helps you sleep. ⸻ [FINAL CHORUS — full band] Let them tell their story I don’t need to take the pen I don’t have to fight for innocence In a trial that’s in their head Let them turn me into someone That I’ve never even been They can keep their version of me I know the one I lived. Let ’em talk When I leave the room Let ’em talk If that’s what they need to do I spent too many years Trying to make everybody see— I don’t need you to understand me for me to understand me. ⸻ [Outro — groove keeps playing] Say my name… Tell your story… Make me wrong… Make you right… Tomorrow morning I’ll still wake up knowing who I am. And that’s enough. Let ’em talk… Let ’em talk…