About the song
Two men, one glass door, and a question neither of them invented.
Who put my face in your fear?"
About these notes
AI-assisted song notes, based on the sources shown here. Not yet human-reviewed.
Words from the artist’s archive
WHO TAUGHT YOU TO HATE ME lyrics
Artist-supplied lyric sheet, matched by title. The sheet may differ from this released performance. Production notes and alternate promotional cuts are omitted.
Read the lyric sheet
Verse 1
Before the sun gets up, I am already dressed. Coffee in a paper cup, name stitched on my chest. Radio says a man like you is why the rent climbs. Why the schools feel thin. Why the good work dries. Says you came for the room my little boy will need. Says you laugh at the rules that my father made me keep. I have never heard your voice. I know the shape they drew. By seven in the morning, I am scared of someone new.
Chorus
Who taught you to hate me? Who put my face in your fear? Who said I took what you needed before I ever got here? We never shared a table. We never traded names. Somebody drew the picture before we knew the frame.
Verse 2
Before the sun gets up, you are tying on your shoes. Your mother calls too early, says her hands hurt when they move. The screen says men like me have had the gate locked tight, that my kids start ten steps up while yours run all night. Says I call your home a problem, call your prayer too loud, call the way you raise your children something to be ruled out. You have never heard my voice. You know the part I play. By seven in the morning, I am standing in your way.
Chorus
Who taught you to hate me? Who put my face in your fear? Who said I took what you needed before I ever got here? We never shared a table. We never traded names. Two men inside a picture, both blamed outside the frame.
Verse 3
My rent is due on Friday. Yours was due last week. I keep the bad news quiet. You do too when children speak. My mother missed a step. Yours forgot a name. I want my boy home safe. You want your girl the same. I think the deck is tilted toward a man who looks like you. You swear the deck was built to hide what men like me can do. Two kitchens. Two old fridges. Two phones lighting up. Two strangers drinking worry from a chipped and borrowed cup.
Bridge
Funny thing about an enemy: he came with an introduction. A headline had your picture. A voice gave mine instructions. No one asked us for a witness. No one needed us to meet. They just put a chair between us and sold tickets to the seats.
Chorus
Who taught you to hate me? Who needed me in your fear? Who needed you inside mine when neither one was near? We never shared a table. We never traded names. Somebody kept the picture. We carried all the blame.
Verse 4
Six ten. Pharmacy door. I am coming out, you are going in. Your hand gets there first and catches the glass. Go ahead. Appreciate it. That is all. No speech. No sign. No great change in the air. I walk through the door. You hold it there.
Inside the recording
Before the sun gets up, I am already dressed. Coffee in a paper cup, name stitched on my chest.
Who taught you to hate me? Who put my face in your fear?
Your hand gets there first and catches the glass. Go ahead.
Excerpts from artist-supplied lyric files matched by title. Lyric sheets may differ from the released performance.