Open Windows

[intro – jangly guitar riff, warm organ pad, steady drums enter] Yeah… Maybe nobody’s simple When you get close enough. [verse 1 – gritty male vocal, steady groove] Old man sits at the counter With a coffee gone cold, Everybody in this town Thinks they know what he knows. Says he used to be mean, Says he used to drink hard, Says he lost half his life Trying to outrun his heart. There’s a girl at the register With ink on her hands, Folks whisper like thunder About things they don’t understand. But she’s saving for school, She’s raising her brother, She’s got more quiet courage Than the mouths judging others. [pre-chorus – guitars open up] I’ve been wrong about faces, Wrong about names, Wrong about the stories I wrote from the frame. So I’m done throwing stones From the cheap seats tonight. I’m opening windows. I’m letting in light. [chorus – full band lift, anthemic] Be curious, not cruel. Ask once before you blame. Everybody’s carrying fire That don’t look just like flame. Be open, not cold. Let the hard hearts rust. There’s a whole wide world Inside people like us. So I won’t close the door On what I don’t understand. I’ll hold out a question In an open hand. [verse 2 – more motion, jangly guitars] My brother left Sunday With his jaw locked tight, Said, “You never once asked Why I learned how to fight.” I was busy being righteous, Busy being sure, Like a preacher with a blindfold Pointing straight at the cure. Saw a kid on the corner With his hood pulled low, I crossed to the far side Like fear was a road. Then he helped push a Chevy From the rain and the mud, And I felt my little judgment Turn to dirt in my blood. [pre-chorus – stronger] I’ve been quick with a label, Slow with a chair, Fast with a verdict, Late with a prayer. So I’m done acting holy With a locked-up mind. I’m opening windows. I’m letting in light. [chorus – bigger, singalong] Be curious, not cruel. Ask once before you blame. Everybody’s carrying fire That don’t look just like flame. Be open, not cold. Let the hard hearts rust. There’s a whole wide world Inside people like us. So I won’t close the door On what I don’t understand. I’ll hold out a question In an open hand. [post-chorus – backing vocals, warm lift] In an open hand. In an open hand. Yeah, I’m learning to listen Before I take my stand. [bridge – stripped down, clean guitar, intimate vocal] Maybe the stranger is a mirror. Maybe the sinner is a song. Maybe the ones we call broken Have been holding us all along. Maybe the loudest opinion Is the loneliest sound. Maybe the truth needs a table Where we all sit down. [build – drums return, guitars swelling] Tell me where it hurt. Tell me what you lost. Tell me what it took And what it cost. I don’t need to fix you. I don’t need to win. I just want to know Where your road begins. [final chorus – biggest lift, layered backing vocals] Be curious, not cruel. Ask once before you blame. Everybody’s carrying fire That don’t look just like flame. Be open, not cold. Let the hard hearts rust. There’s a whole wide world Inside people like us. Be curious, not cruel. Let the old walls fall. A little more wonder Might save us all. So I won’t close the door On what I don’t understand. I’ll hold out a question In an open hand. [outro – jangly guitars ringing, warm organ fades] Maybe nobody’s simple When you get close enough. [final line – half-spoken, gritty] So I’ll get close enough.