My eyes have done their share of dryin'
My mind's been preoccupied
My life's like a blackbird flyin' from a resting place on a wire
My ears sting deaf from deception

My hands shake cold from numb
My back breaks from old friends rejections
Where judgments and grudges are hung

[Chorus:]
But I'm not gonna hate
Even if I ache inside
I'm not gonna hurt someone
Even if I'm justified
I'm not gonna lie
Even if I've been deceived
An eye for an eye
Is not the life I choose to lead

I'm calling all lost souls and sinners
Adhere to the saints of men
Like Martin or Gandhi or Jesus
We should all learn to forgive
Has the cost of freedom been forgotten
Has the price of peace been banned
I believe love lives somewhere inside the brotherhood of man

[Chorus:]
But I'm not gonna hate
Even if I ache inside
I'm not gonna hurt someone
Even if I'm justified
I'm not gonna lie
Even if I've been deceived
An eye for an eye
Is not the life I choose to lead


[Chorus:]
But I'm not gonna hate
Even if I ache inside
I'm not gonna hurt someone
Even if I'm justified
I'm not gonna lie
Even if I've been deceived
An eye for an eye
Is not the life I choose to lead