Can We Talk for Five Minutes

Lyrics

FULL FORCE [Intro — spoken] Yeah. My brother and his wife. I never thought we’d get here. But here’s my side. Monty. [Hook] Come at me, better come full force, I hit back with truth, let it run its course. You tell your story, I’m telling mine, Put the whole conversation out in the light. Talk that talk, better stand on that, I put my own name on every track. No fists flying—just a mic and a beat, You brought accusations, I brought receipts. [Verse 1] That’s my brother—damn, that’s the part that hurts, Knew me before the boots and the work shirts. Two boys in the yard till the porch light came, Now we can’t talk without somebody placing blame. And his wife’s got opinions on the man I am, But I don’t recognize myself in her version of events. Hold up, slow down, let me get a word through, Being louder than me doesn’t make it true. From where I stand, that kindness feels staged, Warm in a room, then cold on the page. I read that message, then I read it again, Thinking, “Brother, is this really how our story ends?” I’m tired of the whispers, tired of the spin, Tired of defending every room I’m in. So I save that text, put the date on the page, Let the bass take the weight while I work through the rage. [Hook] Come at me, better come full force, I hit back with truth, let it run its course. You tell your story, I’m telling mine, Put the whole conversation out in the light. Talk that talk, better stand on that, I put my own name on every track. No fists flying—just a mic and a beat, You brought accusations, I brought receipts. [Verse 2] Cindy says, “Baby, put the phone down.” Another long night, I’m pacing around. Thirty years, she can read my face, Knows when my head’s in a darker place. Dinner getting cold while I stare at that thread, Trying to understand what my own brother said. She asks, “Is answering gonna help tonight?” I set the phone down, then reach for it twice. And your wife can say that she wishes us peace, But that ain’t how the conversation feels to me. I don’t need a smile for the family photograph, Need somebody willing to hear the other half. Brother, call me yourself, say what you mean, We’ve got too many years for somebody in between. You knew my voice before you ever knew hers, Can we talk for five minutes in our own words? [Break — spoken] If I got it wrong, show me. I’ll listen. But give me that same chance. [Verse 3] Mom and Dad in the middle—that’s heavy enough, Without every conversation turning into us. I want to hear, “Son, we’re doing all right,” Without carrying that call around all night. You can have the last word, I want time back, Want a Sunday afternoon without all that. Want to say my brother’s name and remember something good, Before I start rehearsing how I’m misunderstood. I ain’t perfect, put that right in the verse, I’ve spoken out of anger, made some moments worse. But I won’t call it settled when I still need answers, Won’t pretend a family wound disappears for the camera. Lord, keep my mouth from outrunning my facts, Let me hear an honest answer when an answer comes back. I’ve got work in the morning and people who need me, I can’t spend my whole life asking you to believe me. [Final Hook] Come at me, better come full force, I hit back with truth, let it run its course. You tell your story, I’m telling mine, Put the whole conversation out in the light. Talk that talk, better stand on that, Monty Maulding, put my name on the track. No fists flying—just a mic and a beat, You brought accusations— I brought receipts. [Outro — spoken] That’s my brother. Still. And underneath everything I’ve said… I wish he’d call.