Lyrics

You look at me and see a story that you wrote inside your mind,
A picture painted by the rumours and the things you've heard in time.
You see my skin, you see my walk, you see the way I wear my name,
But you never stopped to wonder if your eyes got it wrong again.

You judge my tone, you judge my silence, judge the way I stand alone,
But you don't know the nights I've spent just helping folks get home.
You don't know the tears I've hidden, all the battles I've been through,
Or the prayers I've whispered softly for the ones who hurt me too.

(Chorus)
How can you judge me when you don't know my heart
(Don't know my heart...)
You see the surface, but you're missing every deeper part.
I've been a friend, I've been a shelter when the world turned cold,
I've carried others on my back with stories left untold.
So how can you judge me... when you don't know my soul
(You don't know my soul).

You never saw me feed a stranger when I barely had enough,
Or stand up for the quiet ones when the moment turned too rough.
You never saw me hold my tongue to keep the peace for someone's sake,
Or give my last bit of comfort just to ease another's ache.

(Bridge)
I've loved the ones who doubted me, I've helped the ones who lied,
I've lifted those who pushed me down and still stood by their side.
So before you cast your shadow, take a breath and look again--
There's a world inside a person that the outside can't explain.

(Chorus)
How can you judge me when you don't know my heart
(Don't know my heart...)
You see the surface, but you're missing every deeper part.
I've been a friend, I've been a shelter when the world turned cold,
I've carried others on my back with stories left untold.
So how can you judge me... when you don't know my soul
(You don't know my soul).

So if you want to understand me, take a moment, take your time,
Look beyond the skin and labels, see the truth beneath the lines.
'Cause I'm more than what you're seeing, more than what your eyes believe--
And the love I've given freely is the part you never see.