One Open Hand

[Verse 1]
You left your coat beside the sink
I saw the mud along the seam
You said the day had gone too far
I let you finish, let it be

I had a sharp reply prepared
A little verdict dressed as truth
Then saw your hands begin to shake
And set my answer down with you

[Pre-Chorus]
We are more than our worst hour
More than what we couldn’t say
Give a little room for sorrow
And a door can swing both ways

[Chorus]
Choose to be kind when the room turns cold
Give someone grace when the story’s untold
One small mercy can travel so far
From your open hand to a stranger’s heart
Forgive what you can, let the hard walls part
We change the world by the way we start

[Verse 2]
At the bus stop, rain on the glass
A tired nurse was counting change
You moved your bag, she sat beside you
Nothing grand, but something changed

She called her brother on the ride
Said, “I was wrong; I miss your voice”
He let the silence have its say
Then answered softly, “Come by tonight”

[Pre-Chorus]
We are more than our worst hour
More than what we couldn’t mend
Make a little room for listening
And a stranger becomes a friend

[Chorus]
Choose to be kind when the room turns cold
Give someone grace when the story’s untold
One small mercy can travel so far
From your open hand to a stranger’s heart
Forgive what you can, let the hard walls part
We change the world by the way we start

[Bridge]
No grand design, no perfect phrase
Just staying when it’s hard to stay
A name remembered, blame set down
A softer voice can turn things round
If I make room for what you feel
You may find room to help me heal

[Final Chorus]
Choose to be kind when the room turns cold
Give someone grace when the story’s untold
One small mercy can travel so far
From your open hand to a stranger’s heart
Forgive what you can, let the hard walls part
We change the world by the way we start

[Outro]
One open hand, one softened heart
That’s how the turning starts