[Verse 1]
Couple girls at the desk today, laughing about the scary one
"Bet he's a jerk, guys like that always are" — and something in me turned
See, they don't know my last few years. The choices. The long way down.
They don't know what it means to me
when somebody treats you like you're allowed in the room
[Pre]
So let me tell you about the scariest man in this building.
[Chorus]
He just said morning
Every single day, he just said morning
Looked me in the eye like I was worth the look
Didn't want a thing, didn't need me small
The hardest man in here was the kindest of them all
He just said morning
And you don't know what that's worth
till you've been treated like the worst
[Verse 2]
I'm the comeback girl. The starting-over girl. The trying girl.
Half this town still sees the old me. He never met her once.
He met who I am on Tuesday. Signed me in. Said thanks. Moved on.
No pity in it, no speech, no fixing —
just a man deciding I was a person, and letting that be that
[Bridge]
The other kind of powerful walks in and makes you smaller
so you'll know that they're the big one in the room
He never did. Not once. Not me, not anybody.
Real strong doesn't need you weak.
I learned what a good man was from a hello.
That's it. That's the whole thing. A hello — every day —
from the one who owed me nothing
[Chorus]
He just said morning
When the whole world had a version of me, he just said morning
Took me at today, never at my worst
Didn't want a thing, didn't need me small
The hardest man in here was the gentlest of them all
He just said morning
And if you'd lived my life, you'd fight for him too
'cause a hello was the kindest thing anyone ever gave you
[Outro]
So say what you want about the scary guy.
I'll be over here.
Signing him in.
Smiling like I mean it.
'Cause he just said morning
And it saved a little piece of me
Every day