Hearing Pity in the Tenderness

[Verse 1]
You say you missed me, I search your face
For the soft excuse tucked under the praise
You stay when I falter, you call me your friend
I count all the reasons this kindness will end

[Pre-Chorus]
I turn every kindness around in my hands
Like proof of a debt I can never repay

[Chorus]
If you love me, say it plain
I keep hearing pity in the tenderness
I want to believe you when you call my name
But some part of me keeps bracing for the less
If you love me, let it land
I’m still learning what your open heart can mean

[Verse 2]
You laugh at my stories, you ask how I’ve been
I wait for the moment your patience wears thin
Your care arrives steady; I doubt it on cue
As if I can know what is true better than you

[Pre-Chorus]
I build up a case from a pause in your voice
Then watch you come back, still making the choice

[Chorus]
If you love me, say it plain
I keep hearing pity in the tenderness
I want to believe you when you call my name
But some part of me keeps bracing for the less
If you love me, let it land
I’m still learning what your open heart can mean

[Bridge]
Maybe love can be simple and still be sincere
Maybe I don’t have to earn you by disappearing
I’ll try not to turn every gift to a test
I’ll let your care reach me, inch by inch, unguessed

[Final Chorus]
If you love me, say it plain
I’m trying to hear love in the tenderness
I want to believe you when you call my name
And loosen my grip on the fear of the less
If you love me, let it land
I’m learning I can be loved as I am

[Outro]
I’m learning I can be loved as I am