I saw a withered man
cardboard sign at his feet
begging for a dollar
to buy something to eat
I swore I didn't know him
- just like so many others
But had my eyes been open
I would have seen my brother
I saw a strung-out woman
behind the glass at jail
going through withdrawals
no one to post her bail
I swore I didn't know her
and so I dismissed her
But had my eyes been open
I would have seen my sister
I saw a drunken man
sitting in the mud
sucking down a bottle
and spitting up the blood
I swore I didn't know him
and so I didn't bother
But had my eyes been opened
I would have seen my father
I saw a naked woman
running down the street
screaming at the demons
that only she could see
I swore I didn't know her
and so I ran for cover
But had my eyes been open,
I would have seen my mother
I saw an angry boy
with a future black and blue
heading off to school
to take their future, too
I swore I didn't know him
as I've so often done
But had my eyes been open
I would have seen my son
I saw a teenage girl
in the alleyway
pulling up her jeans
and waiting for her pay
I swore I didn't know her
so I passed like running water
But had my eyes been open
I would have seen my daughter
I was looking in the mirror
but all that I could see
was everyone I had ignored
staring back at me
And then my eyes were opened
at last and finally
And when my eyes were opened
I saw my family
So walk into the landscape
of concrete and steel
Walk into the shadows
and what the light reveals
And if your eyes are open
you will never walk alone
You will see that we are here
to walk each other home