[Intro: soft piano, subtle pedal steel, brief] [Verse 1: intimate female storytelling, piano and steel] Sunday rain on the windshield, Mama’s Bible on the seat. I watched her cross the churchyard, That girl from down our street. I knew the talk around her; I’d passed some talk along. Then I saw my own reflection In the glass before the dawn. [Chorus: full live country band, soaring lead] Lay that stone down, open your hands; You don’t have to judge what you don’t understand. Jesus bore the cross; let mercy have its say. Bring Him what you’re carrying; You don’t have to be okay. [Verse 2: add acoustic guitar, bass and light drums] The preacher read of Jesus, Standing silent through the lies. I thought about that young girl, How I’d never met her eyes. I found her by the doorway, Said, “I helped to spread that lie.” She whispered, “Will you sit with me?” And I sat down and cried. [Chorus: wider harmonies, expressive steel fills] Lay that stone down, open your hands; You don’t have to judge what you don’t understand. Jesus bore the cross; let mercy have its say. Bring Him what you’re carrying; You don’t have to be okay. [Bridge: piano and exposed vocal, gradually building] I’d held court in my own heart, Found myself guilty every day. But the Savior I was praying to Was calling me by grace. [Final Chorus: huge full band, soaring belt, layered harmonies] Lay that stone down, open your hands; You don’t have to judge what you don’t understand. Jesus bore the cross; let mercy have its say. Bring Him what you’re carrying; You don’t have to be okay. [Sustained high belt on “okay,” then gentle release] [Outro: piano and steel, tender emotional crack] Two women in the back pew, Learning how to lay it down. [End: resolved piano chord]
