Of all the things to do to a friend
You hurt them by your tongue
Relationships will fatally end
Without a knife or gun

Waitin' till you 're back behind them
Then you put them down
How could you be talkin' 'bout them
When they're not around?

Chorus:
Don't be talkin' 'bout friends when they're not around
Don't be cuttin' their hearts and puttin' them down
Don't be temptin' the Lord and makin' Him frown
Don't be talkin' 'bout your friends when they're not around

How all the gossip falls on our ears
It doesn't make much sense
How we can cause the innocent tears
Not helping their defense

Listening, we all should fear it
Listening is wrong
If there were no one to hear it
It could not go on
Repeat Chorus

Too many friendships have been broken
By just a simple, careless word spoken

Repeat Chorus (x2)

Don't be talkin' down, throwin' down, cuttin' down friends
Why not treat them more like friends (when they're not around)?
Don't be saying lots of things, overlook the hurt it brings
Don't be talkin' bout your friends (when they're not around)

Scriptural Reference:

"A perverse man stirs up dissention, and a gossip separates close friends." Proverbs 16:28