Lesson in Mercy

(Verse 1)

I’ve been the water, I’ve been the sand

Taking the shape of a heavier hand

I’ve practiced the art of the quiet retreat

Tracing the patterns of dust at my feet

But the walls are moving in, inches at a time

And silence is starting to look like a crime.

(Pre-Chorus)

My knuckles are white on the edge of the shelf

I’m losing the war with my gentler self

The peace I was keeping is starting to rot

And I’m measuring out every ounce that I’ve got.

(Chorus)

Do I break the glass? Do I hold the line?

Is the blood on the floor yours or mine?

There’s a bridge in the distance I’m ready to burn

A lesson in mercy I’m trying to unlearn

To stand like a mountain or snap like a reed

How much of my soul am I willing to bleed?

(Verse 2)

You’re counting on shadows, you’re counting on fear

But the air in the room is beginning to clear

I’ve gathered the bruises like stones in a coat

And the "sorry" is stuck in the back of my throat

There’s a fork in the road where the lightning has struck

And I’m tired of trusting in nothing but luck.

(Pre-Chorus)

Yeah, my knuckles are white on the edge of the shelf

I’m done making excuses for someone else

The peace I was keeping is starting to rot

And I’m giving away every ounce that I’ve got.

(Chorus)

Do I break the glass? Do I hold the line?

Is the blood on the floor yours or mine?

There’s a bridge in the distance I’m ready to burn

A lesson in mercy I’m trying to unlearn

To stand like a mountain or snap like a reed

How much of my soul am I willing to bleed?

(Bridge)

I’m weighing the cost of a closed-fisted hand

Against all the mercy that I can command

If I choose to strike, do I lose who I was?

Or am I just answering nature’s own laws?

The ghost of my kindness is begging to stay

But the wolf at the door won't just wander away.

(Guitar Solo)

(Chorus)

Oh, I’m breaking the glass, I’m holding the line

The blood on the floor is no longer mine

There’s a bridge in the distance I’m watching it burn

That lesson in mercy is finally unlearned

I’ll stand like a mountain, I won’t be the reed

No matter how much of my soul has to bleed.

(Outro)

The weight of the hand...

The line in the sand...

I’m taking it back.

I’m taking it back.