Line In The Sand
Andy Gullahorn Lyrics

When I was a kid
Back when I was a child

The second of four
I was the second child among four siblings

I remember my dad would sometimes call me by my brother's name
My father would accidentally mistake my name for my brother's on occasion

It bothered me then
I found it upsetting at the time

I thought if he loved me more
I believed if my father cared about me more than my brother, he wouldn't make that mistake

There's no way that he'd repeat the same mistake
I was convinced he would stop making the error if he favored me more

I swore to him that when I'd finally grown
I made a promise to myself that after I became a grown-up

I would never do that sort of thing
I pledged I would not make the same mistake with my own children

But now that I've got three kids of my own
However, now that I have three children

I love them and confuse them just the same
I sometimes accidentally call them by the wrong names too despite loving them dearly

What I thought was true
The things I believed were accurate before

What I thought was right
The things I believed were correct before

Sure looks a little different after all this time
Now appear slightly different with the passage of time

No, the truth won't change
The veracity won't alter

But perspective can
But one's point of view can modify

So much for the line in the sand
So much for drawing a firm boundary

So much for the line in the sand
So much for keeping a strict, rigid stance

There was a time
There existed an era

I was on fire
I had boundless enthusiasm

I had a love for a Word I thought I knew but didn't understand
I had affection for a religious concept I assumed I comprehended but didn't

‘Cause I used it as a weapon
Since I wielded it as a tool of aggression

To judge from on high
To pass judgment from a superior, self-righteous position

With no love or grace for any who were struggling
Without displaying compassion or forgiveness for anyone undergoing difficulties

But struggles of my own I could not hide
Despite my own struggles, I couldn't keep them concealed

And I found myself among the least of men
I discovered I was among the most disadvantaged group of people

So you might imagine my surprise
You can picture my astonishment

As I came to recognize myself in them
As I came to realize I was similar to those I had previously judged harshly

Nobody knows what he wrote on the ground
No one knows what the person wrote on the ground

Between the men with the stones and the one left to die
In the midst of the group of people throwing stones at someone who was about to be executed

But there in the sand in front of that crowd
But there, in front of everyone, in the sand

Was the sweep of a hand erasing a line
The individual drew a line with their hand and then immediately erased it

So give a name to your fear
Therefore, provide a name for the thing that terrifies you

Put a face to the name
Visualize the individual connected with the name

Take a look at the tears in the eye of that face
Observe the tears spilling over the eyes of that person

and feel the pain
and experience the torment they are going through

Take a walk in his shoes and feel something change
Step into their shoes and feel a transformation transpire

And know it's not the truth
Realize it's not the actuality

No, it's not the truth
No, it's not the veracity

It's you
It's actually about you