What Shaped Your View

[Intro]
You walk in carrying a weather I have never known
I see the coat you wear; I don’t know what you’ve been shown

[Verse 1]
You say the river runs east; I’ve only watched it turn
You learned your lesson from a different kind of burn
I could call you foolish, make a courtroom of this room
Or ask what made that answer bloom

[Pre-Chorus]
Hold the verdict, leave a little space
There’s a whole life behind a stranger’s face

[Chorus]
I won’t make a weapon of being right
I’ll ask what it’s like from the other side
You don’t have to see it the way I do
For me to make some room for you
We can disagree and still stand near
Trade the easy blame for a harder ear
Before I shame you for the way you see
I’ll try to understand what shaped your view of me

[Verse 2]
Your words come out like stones; mine have cut that way before
We both know how a slammed shut door can sound across a floor
So tell me where it started, what you’re trying to protect
I’ll listen for the part I haven’t heard yet

[Pre-Chorus]
Hold the verdict, leave a little space
There’s a whole life behind a stranger’s face

[Chorus]
I won’t make a weapon of being right
I’ll ask what it’s like from the other side
You don’t have to see it the way I do
For me to make some room for you
We can disagree and still stand near
Trade the easy blame for a harder ear
Before I shame you for the way you see
I’ll try to understand what shaped your view of me

[Bridge]
Maybe your map was drawn in a storm
Maybe mine was handed to me warm
Neither story tells the whole of us
So let the first question be, “What have I missed?”
No, empathy is not surrender
It’s courage with the doors thrown wide
I can hold my ground and still remember
There’s a human being on your side

[Breakdown]
Ask me why
I’ll tell you true
Then I’ll turn around
And ask you, too

[Final Chorus]
I won’t make a weapon of being right
I’ll ask what it’s like from the other side
You don’t have to see it the way I do
For me to make some room for you
We can disagree and still stand near
Trade the easy blame for a harder ear
Before I shame you for the way you see
I’ll try to understand what shaped your view of me

[Outro]
A little more room
A little less blame
We meet as people
Before we name