In law enforcement, a lot of what I encountered came down to clear distinctions: the law and a violation of it, right and wrong. Real life taught me how much can live in the gray between those lines.
With age and experience, I learned that something can look like it belongs on one side and turn out to be somewhere else once you understand the circumstances. Having the patience and presence of mind to discern the difference is a learned skill. That’s what this song grew out of.
Lyrics
I used to think the line was drawn
Like chalk across the floor
Till life came through with muddy boots
And scuffed it by the door
Now I see a little child
In a grown man's worst mistake
And I've seen saints with hidden knives
They sharpened in God's name
There's gray inside the in-between
Where the right don't shine so clean
Where wrong don't always wear a name
And mercy walks around with shame
Where good men lose and sinners kneel
Where truth gets bruised but still feels real
We ain't standin' on the line no more
We're livin' somewhere inside the in-between
There's a place folks end up livin'
When the clean road disappears
Where pride can sound like courage
And truth can taste like fear
I've known men who broke the law
To feed a hungry house
And men who kept their record clean
While they burned the whole house down
I've heard lies told gentle
And truth spit out mean
That's when I learned how crowded it gets
Inside the in-between
There's gray inside the in-between
Where the right don't shine so clean
Where wrong don't always wear a name
And mercy walks around with shame
Where good men lose and sinners kneel
Where truth gets bruised but still feels real
We ain't standin' on the line no more
We're livin' somewhere inside the in-between
There's a whole lot of gray
Inside the in-between