Honest
Tyson Motsenbocker Lyrics


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Said I'd walk to San Francisco
After everything was done
Thought the noise and moving busy
Kept my mind from really knowing what was gone
And when I finally saw it closing
all those miles across the bay
I was only standing closer to
The man I hoped to lose along the way

But If I'm being honest
But If I'm being honest
I would tell them

It's a children's book
It's a hospital gown
It's an aspen tree in the summer breeze
She saw, as waving hands
It's a watching chair
and a holy company
Like a sailing ship
Hard wrought in it
That will never again float upon the sea

I found that there's a humor
In an old and fond goodbye
As if the early passing was a door
that she could look through with a smile

So If I'm being honest
If I'm being honest
I would tell her

It's a pair of jeans
It's a rude awakening
It's a fine life lived in the privilege of standing there in the afterlight
It's a photograph
Folded in my wallet




To remind myself that what she left
Is only growing bigger over time

Overall Meaning

The opening lines of Tyson Motsenbocker’s “Honest” talk about walking to San Francisco after everything was done; reflecting on how the noise and fast-moving city might help him forget what was lost. These opening lines introduce the listener to the main theme of the song about coming to terms with the death of a loved one. The singer then goes on to say he was hoping to lose the man he hoped to leave behind on the journey, only to realize that he’d been carrying him right beside him all along. The song touches on the concept of grief, and how it can be a journey of discovery and acceptance.


The chorus of the song is repeated twice, emphasizing the message a person needs to give to another. It brings out the idea of honesty as an essential component of life and how hiding one's true feelings cannot change the reality of what has happened. In the second verse, Tyson talks about how there is humor in the early passing of a loved one, and her soul has found its way through the door with a smile. He then talks about telling her the truth; that what she left behind is only growing bigger over time. The last verse then goes over meaningful remembrances of the lost soul, how every tiny thing they did will always remind us of them, and how we hold on to such memories.


Line by Line Meaning

Said I'd walk to San Francisco
I promised myself to walk all the way to San Francisco


After everything was done
Once my tasks were completed


Thought the noise and moving busy
I believed that the chaos and hustle would provide a distraction


Kept my mind from really knowing what was gone
But it only prevented me from acknowledging what I had lost


And when I finally saw it closing
As I approached the end of my journey


all those miles across the bay
Covering the vast distance of the bay


I was only standing closer to
I realized that I had come closer to


The man I hoped to lose along the way
The person I wanted to leave behind


But If I'm being honest
However, if I am truthful


But If I'm being honest
If I am completely sincere


I would tell them
I would confess


It's a children's book
The memory is like a simple storybook


It's a hospital gown
It's like wearing a hospital garment that reminds me of her absence


It's an aspen tree in the summer breeze
It's like the rustling of aspen leaves in the summer wind, a gentle memory


She saw, as waving hands
I remember her waving goodbye


It's a watching chair
The place where I sit and remember her


and a holy company
Accompanied by cherished memories of her


Like a sailing ship
Like an intricate sailing vessel


Hard wrought in it
Crafted with hard work and dedication


That will never again float upon the sea
That will never set sail again


I found that there's a humor
I came to realize that there is a certain humor


In an old and fond goodbye
In a goodbye that is both old and beloved


As if the early passing was a door
It is as though her untimely death is an open gateway


that she could look through with a smile
Through which she could gaze and smile


So If I'm being honest
Thus, if I am truthful about it


If I'm being honest
If I am candid and sincere


I would tell her
I would confess to her


It's a pair of jeans
Her departure is like a pair of jeans, casual and comfortable


It's a rude awakening
It's like a harsh and sudden realization


It's a fine life lived in the privilege of standing there in the afterlight
It's a beautiful existence, enriched by the privilege of reminiscing


It's a photograph
The memory is like a photograph


Folded in my wallet
That I carry around in my wallet


To remind myself that what she left
To constantly remember the things that she left behind


Is only growing bigger over time
That they only become more significant with each passing day




Contributed by Evan D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Comments from YouTube:

@mmtubber7628

I love this song so so much

@clover23cp

oh my I love this <3

@SulafAlqahtani

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