The Story Behind Is It the Truth?
This song came out of a very real thread in my life. My mother was a tireless volunteer for as long as I can remember. When I was a kid, she sometimes brought me along to convalescent hospitals and other volunteer activities. I did not have a mature understanding of service then, but I could see what our presence meant to people. I especially remember the joy that a child walking into the room could bring.
Years later, two different business contacts independently encouraged me to visit Rotary. By then I was at a point in my life where I felt deeply grateful for what I had been able to accomplish, and the idea of giving something back felt timely. I accepted the invitation, and Rotary ended up opening doors I could not have seen from the beginning. It led to leadership opportunities, a much deeper understanding of nonprofits and foundations, more involvement in the communities where I lived, and friendships that have lasted for years.
While preparing a later Rotary presentation on creativity, AI, and getting out into nature to make room for ideas, I started looking back at that whole arc. I had also been thinking about how much of modern life offers quick emotional rewards that can feel like participation without requiring much time, inconvenience, or human contact. Service is almost the opposite. It asks me to be somewhere, know people, listen, take responsibility, and stay involved long enough for relationships to become real.
The title comes from the first question in Rotary’s Four-Way Test. I liked it because the question works far beyond Rotary. It can apply to service, relationships, public life, technology, and the stories I tell myself. The published song grew from my Rotary experience, but I intentionally let the destination become broader: people need connection, and constructive community is one of the places where meaning becomes tangible.
Fun Fact
I used the Rotary Four Way Test as a guide for the use of AI in my follow up presentation in late August 2026.
Creative Notes
I developed the song section by section, testing ideas, reading the emotional direction back to myself, and revising one passage at a time. I kept the RoyRoy Genkins voice restrained and conversational, with an Americana singer-songwriter feel, acoustic guitar at the center, and no need for a large dramatic arrangement. The goal was to let the subject carry the weight.
One of the most important decisions was separating the universal release from a Rotary-specific alternate. I explored a version that named Rotary directly and completed the Four-Way Test at the end, but I did not publish that version. I kept the released song broader so the same idea could belong to someone who finds community through Rotary, a church, another service organization, or some other place where people meet face to face and do useful work together.
The cover went through a similar narrowing process. I initially worked from a real Rotary group photograph, then moved away from recognizable people and explicit Rotary branding. I used AI image generation to explore a more stylized RoyRoy Genkins visual language: a warm community meeting, round tables, a presenter, an American flag, and a presentation screen showing volunteers serving food. The blue and gold remained as a quiet visual homage, while the finished direction stayed more universal than literal.
Lyrics
Listen & Follow
Play the song while you follow the lyrics.
I was barely tall enough to see Past the edge of hospital beds But every time we walked those halls They felt like old friends I didn’t know their stories yet Didn’t know what time had done Just knew the room got lighter When they saw this kid walk in
Years later two different souls Different days same quiet ask If you wanna give a little back There’s a place where people last I remember feeling thankful then For more than I could rightly say Thought maybe it’s time I showed up Instead of always on my way
I don’t ask who’s shouting now Or who’s got the sharpest view When it’s my turn to choose a side I stop and ask Is it the truth?
Everybody’s got a spark these days Burns bright and fades by morning light Feels like fire looks like change Till there’s no warmth left overnight It’s easy to feel like you helped Just a little hit of dopamine From a distance safe and clean Then you move on to the next thing
I don’t chase the loudest sound Or the newest point of view I just try to leave things better And ask myself Is it the truth?
Some folks find it in a pew Some around a table at noon I just know we don’t get better By trying to do this alone You need a place that knows your name Where the work is real and slow Where you don’t come to be seen You come because you know
I’ve watched seasons come and go Watched good plans outlive the noise Turns out what still matters most Is showing up not raising your voice I’m not the first I won’t be last Just part of a longer line Trying to do a little good With these hands and borrowed time
I don’t claim I’ve got it right I still doubt what I should do But I trust the question that remains Is it the truth?
Still here Still useful Still asking
Credits
- Artist
- RoyRoy Genkins
💬 Comments & Discussion
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