[Verse 1]
People acting like they know me
But if they only knew the old me
They'd be giving God the glory
For what he's done and where he brought me from
Got me singing hallelujah
(Hallelujah)
Ooh
Imma tell it all of my testimony
Ooh
Imma tell it all what he's done for me
[Chorus]
If you knew who I was
If you knew what I've done
You would not believe
I'm not who I used to be
If those rumors are true
Look what mercy can do
It's not hard to see
I'm not who I used to be
[Post-Chorus]
I'm not, I'm not
Ooh, I'm not
I'm not, I'm not
Ooh, I'm not
[Verse 2]
I've been living in the light now
All my wrongs, make it right now
Everybody's gonna find out
That I'm changed and I'm saved
Got me singing hallelujah
(Hallelujah)
Ooh
Imma tell it all of my testimony
Ooh
Imma tell it all what he's done for me
[Chorus]
If you knew who I was
If you knew what I've done
You would not believe
I'm not who I used to be
If those rumors are true
Look what mercy can do
It's not hard to see
I'm not who I used to be
[Post-Chorus]
I'm not, I'm not
Ooh, I'm not
I'm not, I'm not
Ooh, I'm not
[Bridge]
Surely goodness and mercy
Follow behind me
All of my life
Surely favor and blessing
Will go before me
All of my life
Ooh
[Chorus]
If you knew who I was
If you knew what I've done
You would not believe
I'm not who I used to be
If those rumors are true
Look what mercy can do
It's not hard to see
I'm not who I used to be
[Outro]
I'm not, I'm not
Ooh, I'm not
I'm not who I used to be
I'm not, I'm not
Ooh, I'm not
I'm not, I'm not
Ooh, I'm not
I'm not, I'm not
Ooh, I'm not
Lyrics Page
Used To Be
9 views
Sep 28, 2026 updated
Verified editorial review
Song Meaning
A testimony song built around the gap between a person's past and their present, where the singer invites listeners to imagine the worst and then points past themselves to what mercy has done. The opening verse pictures people who think they know the singer, then admits that anyone aware of the "old me" would give God the glory instead. That impulse to tell the whole story — repeated as a promise to share a testimony and what God has done — keeps the focus on transformation rather than on the singer's own effort. The chorus turns on a conditional: if you knew who I was and what I've done, you wouldn't believe it, yet the evidence is plain — "I'm not who I used to be." A striking line ties the change to reputation, suggesting that even if the rumors are true, mercy is what's on display. The bridge leans on the language of goodness and mercy following behind while favor and blessing go ahead, framing the new life as something both pursued and preceded by God. The repeated post-chorus and outro settle into a simple, almost stubborn declaration of the change, ending not on a grand climax but on the same plain statement over and over.
Lyrics Verified by Editorial Team