Impulse

(Intro Acoustic Guitar)

I showed up early, tried to play it cool

Rehearsed my lines like some kind of fool

Changed my shirt three times before the night

Tried to be the man I thought you’d like

I laughed too loud at every little thing

Tried to sound deeper than the songs I sing

But somewhere in the middle of that act

I felt the real me fading in the back

Heart beating faster than a runaway train

Love has a way of messing with your brain

It’s that impulse, rushing through my veins

Makes a steady man act a little insane

Makes me reach for words I never say

Try to be someone else anyway

But the truth cuts through like a midnight bell

You didn’t fall for the mask I sell

If love found me in my own skin

Why would I try to change again?

I almost told a story that wasn’t mine

Just to make you laugh one more time

Almost turned into somebody new

Just to keep standing next to you

But every time I tried that game

Your eyes looked right through the change

Like you were saying without a word

The honest man’s the one you heard

Love gets loud like thunder in the dark

But truth is quiet in the heart

It’s that impulse, pulling at my soul

Makes a careful man lose control

Makes me reach for someone I ain’t

Paint my colors with the wrong paint

But the truth cuts through like a midnight bell

You didn’t fall for the mask I sell

If love found me in my own skin

Why would I try to change again?

So tonight I’m leaving all that behind

No more acting, no more disguise

If you’re still here when the lights turn low

You’ll see the man you came to know

That impulse still runs through my veins

Love still makes a man feel strange

But I won’t fight to be someone new

The best thing I can do is to be true

And if your heart still pulls on me

Then it was always meant to be

Not with the man I tried to show

But the one you already know.