From Your Side

FROM YOUR SIDE

Jimmy was nine and I was eight years old
Mama gave us a terrible scolding said
“Daddy gets home he’s gonna tan your hide”
We didn’t want to wait and find out
When Mama wasn’t lookin me and Jimmy lit out
Climbed up and hid in the hay loft terrified
We lay there looking out for him through the doors at either end
Jimmy said “Tell me what you see from your side”

From your side things must look different
From your side there’s another view
Describe it to me, cause I want to see from your side

My wife and I were in the middle of a fight
Running out of steam in the middle of the night
Each thought our opinion justified
We started putting words in the other one’s mouth
Whole discussion going south
The space between us growing mighty wide
I lay there mystified and she began to get teary-eyed
I said, “Tell me what you see from your side”

From your side things must look different...

I’m a counselor from nine to five
I work with folks from different walks of life
Some are rolling in the money, some are barely getting by
Sometimes common ground is pretty hard to reach
Different cultures, different speech
It’s not that easy seeing eye to eye
When tempers get to wearing thin we all take a deep breath and start again
Saying, tell me what you see from your side

From your side things must look different
From your side there’s another view
Describe it to me, cause I want to see from your side