## [Hook] They can paint me with their words Make me the villain in their story But I know who I am And I'll let time tell the glory ## [Verse 1] Woke up this morning to my name in someone's mouth Twisted into shapes I don't recognize somehow Piano keys like teardrops falling on the floor Each note a truth they'll choose to ignore But I learned from my mother what my father taught as well Character's the only thing that time will always tell So I'll keep walking straight ahead with dignity intact Let my living be the argument, let love be the fact ## [Chorus] I won't fight fire with fire Won't meet their lies with my own Truth doesn't need a choir When it's carved in flesh and bone Let them talk, let them spread their poison in the well I'll keep being who I am and let time tell Let time tell, let time tell What's real and what's not Let time tell, let time tell The truth time forgot ## [Verse 2] Used to think that justice meant that everyone would see The difference between their version and reality Now I know that some folks need someone to blame And they'll write you as the villain in their personal game Paul Simon whispered wisdom in a song I heard before Sometimes silence speaks much louder than a righteous roar So I'll hold my tongue and hold my head high Let integrity be my alibi ## [Chorus] I won't fight fire with fire Won't meet their lies with my own Truth doesn't need a choir When it's carved in flesh and bone Let them talk, let them spread their poison in the well I'll keep being who I am and let time tell Let time tell, let time tell What's real and what's not Let time tell, let time tell The truth time forgot ## [Verse 3] There's a comfort in knowing that I'm not alone Every honest person's felt this chill down to the bone When lies dress up in Sunday clothes and walk around like truth But time's the great detective with its lens and living proof Carole King taught me that the earth moves under us But solid ground is character when everything's discuss I'll plant my feet in who I am, not who they say I'm not And trust that truth rises like cream, whether it's seen or not ## [Bridge] [Building with strings and layered vocals] History's full of names cleared long after they were gone People who kept walking when the whole world sang along With lies that sounded sweeter than the bitter taste of fact But time... time... time has a way of taking all lies back [Crescendo] VINDICATION'S PATIENT TRUTH IS NEVER LATE CHARACTER'S THE VERDICT THAT TIME WILL VALIDATE! ## [Verse 4] Sometimes at night the hurt creeps in like uninvited guest Wondering why good faith gets put to such a test But then I remember all the people I've known Who walked this rocky path and made it on their own By refusing to become the thing that they were called By standing tall when lesser souls would have crawled Melodic justice plays a song that takes its time But every honest note will eventually chime ## [Chorus] I won't fight fire with fire Won't meet their lies with my own Truth doesn't need a choir When it's carved in flesh and bone Let them talk, let them spread their poison in the well I'll keep being who I am and let time tell Let time tell, let time tell What's real and what's not Let time tell, let time tell The truth time forgot ## [Verse 5] Years from now when dust has settled on this mess They'll remember how I handled it, not who said what, I guess The ones who know me really know the person that I am The ones who don't aren't worth the trouble of a defense plan So I'll keep loving, keep giving, keep my word my bond Let my actions be the music, let my character respond To every accusation with a life lived straight and true 'Cause time tells every story, and it's telling mine too ## [Final Hook] They can paint me with their words Make me villain in their lies But the truth lives in my actions And it never, ever dies (Let time tell) Never, ever dies (Let time tell) Truth always survives ## [Outro] [Piano fading with gentle vocals] Let time tell... let time tell... What's real beneath the swell... Of accusations and doubt... Truth will find its way out... Let time tell... [Quote] "I will not deny but that the best apology against false accusers is silence and sufferance, and honest deeds set against dishonest words." - John Milton
