Why Can't I Say It?

[Verse] Well, there's a boy named MJ, he’s always askin' why, Down in the town where cotton meets the sky. He hears the word so often, but he's been told to hush, Wonderin' why some speak it, but he can't join the rush. [Verse 2] At home around the table, in a whisper or a shout, He says the name Nick Kerr, without a trace of doubt. But out there in the world, he's caught betwixt and between, A word that feels so easy, but with weight that's seldom seen. [Chorus] Why can't I say it? Is it right or wrong? In the melody of life, it don’t fit my song. Why can't I just speak, like I do at home? In the heart of this town, I feel so alone. [Verse 3] He asked his mama once, ‘bout the word and its name, She said, “Son, there’s history, and it’s not a game.” He’s lookin’ for an answer, in a world so wide, With words that bind our spirits, like an unseen tide. [Bridge] It's more than letters, it’s a cry from the past, An echo from the fields, where shadows long were cast. Some things ain't for sayin', they're meant to be felt, In the song of our lives, we play the cards we're dealt. [Chorus] Why can't I say it? Is it right or wrong? In the melody of life, it don’t fit my song. Why can't I just speak, like I do at home? In the heart of this town, I feel so alone.