I'm not quite getting where these 'if these lines were reversed' posts come from. Nothing in the OP suggests a chronological order. Having said that, the answer is still being a bit elusive.
giterdone, none of those answers meet the criteria of the lines. Nice try though.
grey cells, I like the conscience answer, but it doesn't fit. Does one's conscience speak to them when all is at peace or does it speak when there's a conflict?