[Verse 1]
I met him by the river bend
With rain in his coat and mud on his hands
He asked for bread and a place to rest
Said, “I’ve lost my way in these flooded lands”
I gave him soup in a chipped blue bowl
A dry old shirt and my hearthside chair
He watched the door when I looked away
Like a man still hunting the shape of fear
[Pre-Chorus]
He said, “Kind hands hide a knife”
I laughed and said, “Not here”
But he kept his boots on by the fire
And never let go of his deer-hide gear
[Chorus]
Kindness ain’t a trap
Kindness ain’t a trap
Even when your heart says run
Even when the night hangs black
Kindness ain’t a trap
No, it ain’t a trap
A soft hand can open up
What fear has shut and locked
[Verse 2]
By dawn his face had lost its guard
Like thaw on a fence-post rail
He saw my girl leave milk on the sill
And my old dog sleep by the nail
He said a town had tricked him once
Left him hungry, laughed in his shame
So every warm light looked like a snare
Every welcome came wrapped in blame
[Pre-Chorus]
I told him, “Pain can teach you wrong”
And wrong can wear a crown
But not every door that swings you in
Means someone means to drag you down
[Chorus]
Kindness ain’t a trap
Kindness ain’t a trap
Even when your heart says run
Even when the night hangs black
Kindness ain’t a trap
No, it ain’t a trap
A soft hand can open up
What fear has shut and locked
[Bridge]
So if you meet a soul bent low
With a storm still in his eyes
Bring out the bread, bring out the salt
Let truth sit down and try
For a man can starve on old betrayals
And mistake the cure for the wound
But love, if it’s honest and plain
Will meet you in the room
[Final Chorus]
Kindness ain’t a trap
Kindness ain’t a trap
Even when your heart says run
Even when the night hangs black
Kindness ain’t a trap
No, it ain’t a trap
A soft hand can open up
What fear has shut and locked
Kindness ain’t a trap
(Kindness ain’t a trap)
Kindness ain’t a trap
(Kindness ain’t a trap)
Bring your fear, bring your name
And leave a little light behind