The Mirror

[Intro — sparse bass / clean guitar]
[Verse 1 — Male vocal]
I spent so many years
looking at the world through other people's eyes.
I knew who was guilty,
who was lying,
who should be afraid.
I knew which side was right.
I knew which side was wrong.
It was easy from a distance,
when the mirror wasn't there.
[Instrumental — bass / guitar]
[Verse 2]
I shared the story because it angered me.
I repeated things I hadn't checked.
I laughed when someone lost their voice
because I thought they deserved it.
I asked for justice for my own people
and forgot about somebody else's pain.
I wanted freedom when it was mine,
then found reasons to limit it for others.
[Chorus]
Then I looked into the mirror
and there was nowhere else to go.
No politician.
No stranger.
No enemy to blame.
Just me.
[Instrumental — extended]
[Female vocal — quietly]
What will you do
when the question comes back to you?
[Male vocal]
I don't know.
But this time
I won't look away.
[Instrumental — piano enters / bass and guitar]
[Verse 3]
Maybe I have been part of the noise.
Maybe I have been part of the wall.
Maybe some of the things I believed
were only things I wanted to believe.
That doesn't make every truth uncertain.
It only means I have to listen.
It means I can change my mind
without becoming someone else.
[Chorus]
Then I looked into the mirror
and there was nowhere else to go.
No politician.
No stranger.
No enemy to blame.
Just me.
[Instrumental — bass / guitar / piano]
[Bridge — stripped down]
If I want a world with less hatred,
I have to begin somewhere.
If I want people to listen,
I have to learn to listen too.
If I want freedom for everyone,
I cannot keep it only for myself.
[Final]
I looked into the mirror.
I didn't like everything I saw.
But I stayed.
And for the first time,
that felt like a beginning.
[Outro — bass / clean guitar]