[Intro — soft acoustic guitar, distant banjo harmonics, cello enters with a warm low melody] I wonder what it sounded like When Jesus laughed. Not the sound of heaven far away— But the kind that made you want to stay. I wonder what His smile looked like When a broken man walked through the door. Did He shake His head and turn away? Or did He say, “Come sit with Me awhile”? [Banjo enters — light, playful rhythm] ⸻ [Verse 1 — warm male vocal, conversational storytelling] They said He was a friend of sinners, And sinners called Him friend. They followed Him through dusty streets, Just to hear Him speak again. He had an open hand for strangers, A place for the forgotten few. He saw a man beneath the failure, And a better man beneath the bruises. Peter only saw a fisherman, Jesus saw a rock beneath the sand. The woman at the well saw shame, Jesus saw a witness in her hands. He didn’t call them what they were, He called them what they could become. He looked beyond the broken pieces And said, “There’s more to you than this.” ⸻ [Pre-Chorus — cello rises, drums/hand percussion build] And maybe that’s the light we need, Not another stone to throw— But someone who can see the soul That even we don’t know. ⸻ [Chorus — full band, joyful and soaring, highly melodic] Jesus laughed, Jesus smiled, Jesus made the broken feel worthwhile. He opened up His hands and said, “Come on in, you’re welcome here.” **Jesus laughed, Jesus loved, He saw the heart beneath the dust. He didn’t turn away and say, “You’re not enough.” He said, “Come walk with Me.” [Banjo hook — catchy instrumental response] Oh, the joy of Jesus, The light of Jesus, The kind of love that makes you want to stay. Oh, the joy of Jesus— A smile in the darkness, A hand reaching out along the way. ⸻ [Verse 2 — rhythmic banjo, acoustic guitar, cello answering the vocal] I think He laughed with little children, When they climbed into His arms. I think He smiled at fishermen Who were always raising alarms. I think He stayed when others left, When everybody else moved on. I think He knew the darkest night Could never stop the coming dawn. He didn’t need a perfect person Before He called them by their name. He didn’t wait for clean hands Before He offered them His grace. And maybe that’s why people came— The lonely and the lost and the ashamed. They knew somehow that in His eyes They weren’t a hopeless case. ⸻ [Pre-Chorus — emotional lift] He didn’t see the chains alone, He saw the one who could be free. He didn’t see the wasted years, He saw eternity. ⸻ [Chorus — bigger, joyful] Jesus laughed, Jesus smiled, Jesus made the broken feel worthwhile. He opened up His hands and said, “Come on in, you’re welcome here.” **Jesus laughed, Jesus loved, He saw the heart beneath the dust. He didn’t turn away and say, “You’re not enough.” He said, “Come walk with Me.” [Banjo and cello riff] Oh, the joy of Jesus, The light of Jesus, The kind of love that makes you want to stay. Oh, the joy of Jesus— A smile in the darkness, A hand reaching out along the way. ⸻ [Bridge — instrumentation drops back, intimate vocal with cello] Maybe that’s what holiness looks like— Not a face that never smiles. Maybe righteousness can dance While mercy walks another mile. Maybe being like the Savior Means we love before they change. We keep the door wide open When they’ve wandered far away. We don’t give up on people When they’re living in the night. We keep believing there’s a sunrise Even when we cannot see the light. [Build — cello rises, banjo begins accelerating] Because somebody waited for us. Somebody saw what we could be. Somebody reached through all our wreckage And said, “Come home with Me.” ⸻ [Instrumental Solo — joyful, emotional, extended, Full band crescendo] ⸻ [Final Chorus — biggest section, joyful and triumphant] Jesus laughed, Jesus smiled, Jesus made the broken feel worthwhile. He opened up His hands and said, “Come on in, you’re welcome here.” **Jesus laughed, Jesus loved, He saw the heart beneath the dust. He didn’t turn away and say, “You’re not enough.” He said, “Come walk with Me.” Jesus laughed, Jesus smiled, And somehow darkness lost its power. He brought a little heaven down Into an ordinary hour. **Jesus laughed, Jesus loved, And He still sees what we can be. He looks beyond the broken heart And says, “There’s more in you than you can see.” ⸻ [Outro — band gradually falls away, acoustic guitar and cello remain] [Soft banjo picking] So if you meet somebody broken, Don’t tell them they’re too far gone. Give them a little room to breathe. Give them a little light to see. Hold out your hand. Leave the door open. Love them like you’ve been loved. And if you ever wonder What the attitude of Jesus was— [brief pause] Maybe it sounded something like laughter. [Single warm cello note] Maybe it looked something like a smile. [Acoustic guitar final chord] And maybe… He’d sit beside you awhile. [end]
