(Intro) Verse 1 Silk dresses at the banquet, Champagne beneath the lights, They raise another million For the people they call “forgotten lives.” Silver forks are shining, The speeches all sound fine, And everybody's feeling generous As they dine on borrowed time. Chorus Oh, the charity feast, Everybody's blessed, They give a little from the table Then they settle down to rest. Hallelujah, pass the bottle, Let the cameras see the grace; There's a hungry world outside the door But there's plenty on the plate. Verse 2 They talk about compassion, They talk about the poor, Then quietly discuss the shares That keep the profits coming through the door. Medicine and missiles, Security and steel, Every investment has a conscience When the dividend is real. Chorus Oh, the charity feast, Everybody's blessed, They give a little from the table Then they settle down to rest. Hallelujah, praise the giver, Let the cameras see the grace; There's a hungry world outside the door But there's plenty on the plate. Verse 3 The preacher says, “Be thankful,” The chairman says, “We care,” A thousand hands applaud the words While servants clear the silverware. Someone mentions suffering, Someone lowers down their eyes, But nobody asks too closely Where the money multiplied. Bridge Lord, who's washing whose hands tonight? Who's counting what we've done? Can charity cleanse the balance sheet When the balance still has blood? You can build a hospital With the money from a gun, Then call yourself a benefactor When the evening news is done. Verse 4 I'm not saying every giver Has a secret in his heart; Maybe kindness can be genuine Even when the sums are large. But if we feed the fire by day And bless the poor by night, Perhaps the hardest charity Is looking at our own side. Chorus Oh, the charity feast, Everybody's blessed, They give a little from the table Then they settle down to rest. Hallelujah, pass the bottle, Let the cameras see the grace; There's a hungry world outside the door But there's plenty on the plate. Final Verse So take away the chandeliers, Turn the music down low, And ask the question nobody Wants the banquet hall to know: If mercy is the message, If love is what we preach, Why does the hand that feeds the hungry Keep investing out of reach? Final Chorus Oh, the charity feast, Let the truth come to the table. No amount of golden speeches Makes a contradiction stable. Hallelujah, drop the curtain, Let the comfortable awake; For the richest gift of all Is the profit we can choose to forsake. Outro — Gospel Call & Response Lead: Who's at the table? Choir: We are at the table. Lead: Who's outside? Choir: We are outside. Lead: Who's paying for the feast? Choir: We all pay the price. Lead: Then what shall we do? Choir: Start by looking twice. Lead: And what shall we give? Choir: More than what's left behind. All: Let mercy reach the money, Let compassion change the mind. (Outro)
