[Intro] [Piano, distant handclaps] If you love me, do not lower your voice [Verse 1] I have been the secret someone keeps behind a smile The name they only say when no one has been around a while I have held my breath in back rooms, waited for a better sign Made excuses for the shadows, called the darkness “bad timing” But I am not a hidden picture, not a thing you save for later Not a candle in the hallway when you are scared to meet your neighbour I have done too much becoming to be loved in little parts If you want the woman dancing, you must want her honest heart I am not asking for the cameras, I am asking for the truth Do not make a home of secrecy and call it something smooth [Pre-Chorus] I do not need the whole world at my door Just do not make me feel like something to ignore [Chorus] Love me in public, love me in light Say my name clearly, stand by my side I do not need perfect, I do not need grand Just love me like you are proud to hold my hand Love me in public, love me out loud Not for the picture, not for the crowd [Post-Chorus — instrumental break, background vocals] [House strings lift] (Out loud, out loud) [Verse 2] I know what privacy is, I have guarded what is mine I know some sacred little things deserve a quiet kind of time But there is a line between protection and being erased Between a closed door and a love that will not show its face I have watched my mother carry every room with open grace Never asking to be smaller just to keep somebody’s place So I learned that love is action, not a password or a test It is choosing someone openly when choosing them is best If the lights make you afraid, then maybe look inside your fear Do not ask me to grow dimmer so your comfort can stay clear [Chorus] Love me in public, love me in light Say my name clearly, stand by my side I do not need perfect, I do not need grand Just love me like you are proud to hold my hand Love me in public, love me out loud Not for the picture, not for the crowd [Post-Chorus — instrumental break, background vocals] [Hand percussion and choir chant] (Out loud, out loud) [Verse 3] I am a daughter of a woman who survived on being seen A girl from Belmont learning every stage could hold a dream I will not trade that lesson for a love that needs me small I can share a life with someone and still stand up tall So if you love me, let it live beyond the locked and private room Let it meet the afternoon, let it take up honest room Not a performance, not a promise made to keep the headlines still Just the simple human courage of a love that has a will I will give the same in return, no half-truth in my hand Love me in public, and I will love you where you stand [Final Chorus] Love me in public, love me in light Say my name clearly, stand by my side I do not need perfect, I do not need grand Just love me like you are proud to hold my hand Love me in public, love me out loud Not for the picture, not for the crowd Love me in public, let the whole room know I was never made for a love that lives below [Outro] [Choir harmonies fade] Out loud
