Track 10 — Where Do We Stand?

Track 10 — Where Do We Stand? Bubba Patrick | North Georgia Memories [Spoken Intro — gentle acoustic guitar, quiet harmonica] Well, I’ll tell y’all something… I was sitting out on the porch the other evening, just looking up at the sky. Got to thinking about this old world we’re living in. All these people. All these opinions. Everybody trying to be somebody. And I got to wondering… Where do we really stand as human beings? [Verse 1] We built ourselves a world of steel, But forgot how another man might feel. We send our voices around the earth, Still can’t figure what a neighbor’s worth. We got a thousand friends upon a screen, But don’t know what being a friend might mean. Everybody’s shouting, nobody hears, We’ve been fighting the same old fight for years. [Chorus — soulful country gospel] Where do we stand, where do we go? How much do we think we really know? We build up walls, we draw our lines, Then wonder why there’s no peace of mind. Underneath these different skins, We’re human beings, every one of us. Before we judge another man, Lord, help us see where we stand. [Verse 2] Saw a young man sitting by the road, Carrying more than his heart could hold. Somebody said, “He made his bed,” And kept on walking, shaking his head. But I remember when that man was me, Lost in a world I couldn’t see. I thought I knew what living was, Till I learned what anger does. Now I don’t know that stranger’s name, But I know we all have known some pain. And I can’t see what’s in his heart, Just like nobody could see mine from the start. [Chorus] Where do we stand, where do we go? How much do we think we really know? We build up walls, we draw our lines, Then wonder why there’s no peace of mind. Underneath these different skins, We’re human beings, every one of us. Before we judge another man, Lord, help us see where we stand. [Spoken Break — guitar quiets] You know something? We argue over race, we argue over money. We argue over religion, politics, and who’s right. But here’s what I’ve been learning. I spent an awful lot of years trying to change everybody else. And dadgummit… I didn’t even understand myself. What a mess. [Verse 3] I blamed my past, I blamed my pain, Carried that anger like a ball and chain. Thought forgiveness meant they’d won, Never knew I was the hurting one. I started sitting quietly each day, Letting all those racing thoughts drift away. And slowly I began to see, The things I’d believed weren’t all of me. I’m still learning, and I don’t pretend, To know just how this story ends. But I can love without having to win, And when I fall, begin again. [Bridge — piano, harmonica] What if we listened before we spoke? What if we helped without needing hope Of something coming back our way? What if we forgave somebody today? What if our children finally saw That love is greater than it all? Not just a word we say out loud, But how we live when nobody’s around. [Final Chorus — full band] Where do we stand, where do we go? Maybe there’s more than we think we know. We can tear down walls, we can cross those lines, We can leave that old resentment behind. Underneath these different skins, We’re human beings, every one of us. So before we judge another man, Let’s take a look at where we stand. [Outro — soft guitar and harmonica] [Spoken — Bubba] Well, I’ll tell y’all something. I ain’t got all the answers. But I know there’s a whole lot more to life than being right. Forgive your mama. Forgive your daddy. And quit trying to run everybody else’s life. Be still. Look within. Let God lead. And remember… There’s always a chair waiting on the porch. Stay with it. Stay with it. Amazing. All is well. [Final harmonica note fades]