### [Intro — gentle, almost instructional] Listen. Really listen. Not just for the words you expect— Listen for what they mean. ### [Verse 1 — simple, sincere] When somebody starts to speak Don't rush to answer back Let them finish what they're saying Don't fill in what they lack Hear the words and find the meaning Don't assume you already know If you're not quite sure what they meant There's a little more to go ### [The Eight Steps — warm, deliberate] **One — Listen.** Let the other person speak. **Two — Understand.** Find the meaning that they seek. **Three — Make sure you understand.** Don't pretend when you don't know. **Four — Make sure they understand you.** Give the meaning room to show. **Five — Make sure you're talking about the same thing.** Same subject, same ground. **Six — Acknowledge what was communicated.** Let them know you heard the sound. **Seven — Continue the communication.** Don't let the conversation die. **Eight — Ask when something isn't clear.** Don't manufacture a why. ### [Chorus — surprisingly sincere] Listen. Understand. Make sure you understand. Make sure they understand you. Before you take a stand. Listen. Don't assume. Don't answer what they didn't say. Sometimes the simplest wisdom Is just getting out of the way. ### [Verse 2 — the Good Apple] I don't need to take the whole tree Just because I found one fruit I don't have to wear the branches To admit that this is useful A teaching can be worth remembering Without becoming my creed A lesson can survive its teacher If the lesson meets a need ### [Pre-Chorus — slight shift] So I listen to the lesson And I leave the rest behind I can question the whole system And still keep what I find ### [Chorus] Listen. Understand. Make sure you understand. Make sure they understand you. Before you take a stand. Listen. Don't assume. Don't answer what they didn't say. Sometimes the simplest wisdom Is just getting out of the way. ### [Verse 3 — communication as a bridge] You can disagree completely And still hear somebody through You can think their answer's foolish And still ask what brought them to it You can challenge every doctrine You can question every claim But if you never hear the person You're just arguing with a name ### [Bridge — quieter, reflective] Maybe that's the part worth keeping. Not the promise. Not the system. Not the grand explanation. Just this: Someone speaks. Someone listens. Someone makes sure they understood. Someone answers. And then— they listen again. ### [Instrumental — gradually brighter] ### [Final Chorus — warm, expansive] Listen. Understand. Make sure you understand. Make sure they understand you. Before you take a stand. Listen. Ask. Clarify. Let the meaning find its way. You don't have to keep the whole tree To keep one apple from the day. ### [Outro — almost spoken] I don't need to believe it all. I don't need to join the tree. If something good can grow there, I'll take the apple. And leave the rest be. **Listen.**
