[Verse 1] You heard one word and made your case Like that was all you had to trace No need to ask what I had meant You had your verdict, time well spent It’s easier to judge the sound Than stick around and dig around A little dirt beneath the skin Might show you where the truth begins [Pre-Chorus] Maybe judging words is easier Than learning someone’s heart Maybe we like the shortcut ’Cause the hard part takes too long [Chorus] A word is not the devil The devil’s in the way you mean it You can curse me with a smile Or bless me while you’re screaming You can dress a lie in Sunday clothes And make it sound polite A word is not the devil It’s what you carry when you say it [Verse 2] You say “darn” and I say “fuck” We both know what we’re talking about One gets frowned at, one gets passed Funny how we drew that map Clean language never stopped a man From doing damage where he can You can speak like someone raised you right And still make every room go cold at night [Pre-Chorus] Maybe judging words is easier Than learning someone’s heart Maybe feeling better than somebody Is where the trouble starts [Chorus] A word is not the devil The devil’s in the way you mean it You can curse me with a smile Or bless me while you’re screaming You can dress a lie in Sunday clothes And make it sound polite A word is not the devil It’s what you carry when you say it Who sat on the committee And circled all the words? Who decided which ones damn us? Why the hell was I not heard? And while we’re keeping score On every word somebody said There’s envy at the dinner table And kindness left for dead [Final Chorus ] A word is not the devil The devil’s in the way you mean it You can curse me with a smile Or bless me while you’re screaming Say every proper word you know It won’t make your heart clean A word is not the devil The devil lives in what you mean [Outro ] So say it clean Or say it rough Just mean it well That might be enough
