THE OTHER ONE by Brian Ketchum

[Chorus]

[Fuller traditional country arrangement, restrained emotional lift]
Black ain't what I wear, it's the miles on my soul,
Black ain't what I wear, it's the miles on my soul,
It's the things I've carried that nobody knows.
Johnny lived in his world, I've got mine,
We each walked our road in our own time.
He's the Man in Black, I'm the Other One.

[Instrumental Break]

[Short, mournful pedal steel guitar]

[Verse 2]

[Pull back the drums, intimate storytelling, no vocal harmonies]
Some nights I still hear what nobody else hears,
The cries of the children still ring in my ears.
The cries of the children still ring in my ears.
I've watched families fall to their knees on the floor,
And carried those voices right out through the door.

I held a hand when the end was in sight,
Couldn't promise tomorrow, just I'd stay through the night.

[Chorus]

[Full band returns, deeper emotional weight, never shouted]
Black ain't what I wear, it's the miles on my soul,
It's the things I've carried that nobody knows.
Johnny lived in his world, I've got mine,
We each walked our road in our own time.
He's the Man in Black, I'm the Other One.

[Bridge]

[Breakdown, acoustic guitar and bass only, reflective vocal]
I believe old Johnny would agree,
I believe old Johnny would agree,
There's a difference in living and making it through.
In the things that you carry and the things that carry you.
I've seen enough darkness to know what it costs,
And I still see the faces of the ones that we lost.

[Instrumental Break]

[Brief, gentle steel guitar response, then instruments fall away]

[Final Verse]

[Very intimate baritone, sparse acoustic guitar, unhurried delivery]
We walked different roads, through different kinds of pain,
With memories we carry that the years can't take away.
But somewhere down those roads, where the broken can be found,
Both our paths led to Jesus, where mercy turned us around.

[Near silence, voice forward]
He didn't erase the roads we'd traveled through,
He changed the men who walked them, and made us new.

[Pause]

[Outro]

[Soft, almost spoken, no drums]
I'm not the Man in Black…

[Brief silence]
I'm the Other One.

[Ending]

[Single warm acoustic guitar chord, let it ring naturally]

2550/7500

[Warm, steady male baritone, conversational delivery] Black Stetson pulled low, black suit pressed clean, There's a whole lot of life that these eyes have seen. I make no excuses, and I make no claims, Some roads leave scars, and some leave names. [Chorus] [Fuller traditional country arrangement, restrained emotional lift] Black ain't what I wear, it's the miles on my soul, Black ain't what I wear, it's the miles on my soul, It's the things I've carried that nobody knows. Johnny lived in his world, I've got mine, We each walked our road in our own time. He's the Man in Black, I'm the Other One. [Instrumental Break] [Short, mournful pedal steel guitar] [Verse 2] [Pull back the drums, intimate storytelling, no vocal harmonies] Some nights I still hear what nobody else hears, The cries of the children still ring in my ears. The cries of the children still ring in my ears. I've watched families fall to their knees on the floor, And carried those voices right out through the door. I held a hand when the end was in sight, Couldn't promise tomorrow, just I'd stay through the night. [Chorus] [Full band returns, deeper emotional weight, never shouted] Black ain't what I wear, it's the miles on my soul, It's the things I've carried that nobody knows. Johnny lived in his world, I've got mine, We each walked our road in our own time. He's the Man in Black, I'm the Other One. [Bridge] [Breakdown, acoustic guitar and bass only, reflective vocal] I believe old Johnny would agree, I believe old Johnny would agree, There's a difference in living and making it through. In the things that you carry and the things that carry you. I've seen enough darkness to know what it costs, And I still see the faces of the ones that we lost. [Instrumental Break] [Brief, gentle steel guitar response, then instruments fall away] [Final Verse] [Very intimate baritone, sparse acoustic guitar, unhurried delivery] We walked different roads, through different kinds of pain, With memories we carry that the years can't take away. But somewhere down those roads, where the broken can be found, Both our paths led to Jesus, where mercy turned us around. [Near silence, voice forward] He didn't erase the roads we'd traveled through, He changed the men who walked them, and made us new. [Pause] [Outro] [Soft, almost spoken, no drums] I'm not the Man in Black… [Soft, almost spoken, no drums] I'm not the Man in Black… [Brief silence] I'm the Other One. [Ending] [Single warm acoustic guitar chord, let it ring naturally]

0/500