[Verse 1] Big bright numbers on a darkened wall Everybody swears they tell it all One man’s name when the last shot falls But somebody had to make that call Somebody moved when nobody looked Somebody gave more than the record book Now the crowd knows who they came to see But that ain’t the same as history [Chorus] Don’t let the score fool you It only knows the end Don’t let the lights choose Who carried who, my friend Oh, the numbers may be true But truth has more to say Don’t let the score fool you When the score is all they save [Verse 2] Camera loves a face it can remember One bright spark from a whole damn ember Somebody held while somebody ran Somebody lost so another man can And when the story gets told downtown They polish one name and wear it around Funny how a thousand hands disappear When one man’s holding the souvenir [Chorus] Don’t let the score fool you It only knows the end Don’t let the lights choose Who carried who, my friend Oh, the numbers may be true But truth has more to say Don’t let the score fool you When the score is all they save [Verse 3] Winning makes a hard man look wise Puts a little mercy in everybody’s eyes Yesterday cruel, today intense Hang up a trophy and call it evidence They’ll say the shouting made you strong Say it must’ve worked if you came out on top But a victory don’t settle what was right Sometimes winning only changes the light [Bridge] Run it back slow Show me every frame You can see what happened Still gotta name the game Whistle says it’s over Doesn’t mean they knew Sometimes you need an ending Before you know what’s true [Breakdown] (Don’t let it fool you) No, no, no (Don’t let it fool you) That number ain’t the whole story (Don’t let it fool you) Some things don’t fit on the board [Final Chorus] Don’t let the score fool you It only knows the end Don’t let the crowd choose Your villains and your friends Every number tells the truth About the thing it came to weigh Don’t let the score fool you There’s always more to say [Outro] Big bright numbers fade away Crowd goes home at end of day What really happened? Well… That takes a little longer to say.
