Beauty is skin deep. I’ve always tried to look soul deep. Kindness, a good mind, a sense of humor, and the way somebody treats people tell me far more than appearance ever could. That’s where this song comes from, and where the play on “sole focus” and “soul focused” found its home.
Lyrics
I've seen pretty turn ugly
Soon as somebody didn't get their way
Seen a worn-out face light up a room
With one kind thing they had to say
I've known hands all rough and weathered
That could hold a hurtin' heart real slow
Somewhere down all these backroads
I learned where beauty really grows
I notice eyes, I notice smiles
Hell, I'm human, always have been
But give me kindness, give me laughter
Give me someone who lets people in
A brilliant mind, a humble heart
A little grace in what you do
My sole focus was always
My soul focused on you
I've met saints in dusty boots
And sinners sittin' in a pew
Had strangers show me more compassion
Than some folks I thought I knew
I've worn a badge and watched folks break
Drove highways where the lonely go
And I learned you can't tell much about a person
By how much clothes or skin they show
Stripped down there's nothin hiding
Makes it easier to see your soul
I notice eyes, I notice smiles
Hell, I still appreciate the view
But pretty never told me half as much
As watchin' what somebody'll do
Give me kindness, brains and laughter
Give me love that follows through
My sole focus was always
My soul focused on you
I've loved people for how they held me
For the things inside their minds
For the way they made me laugh out loud
And the way they treated mine
I've watched young skin turn old and weathered
Watched gray hair come shining through
Funny how a face gets more beautiful
When you know the heart behind it too
Maybe we're just souls passin' through here
Borrowin' these bones for awhile
Tryin' to leave a little kindness
Between the first breath and the final mile
I don't have to own your heart
I don't need forever from you
Sometimes I just wanna know you
And let you know me too
I notice eyes, I notice smiles
Hell, sometimes my body notices too
But wantin' someone in your life ain't the same
As needin' them to belong to you
Give me kindness, love and mercy
Give me something honest and true
My sole focus was always
My soul focused on you
Yeah, these eyes might see the outside
But that ain't where I stop the view
My sole focus was always
My soul focused on you