[Rubato Intro] The clerk set out three bowls by the gate Red dust, white stones, black dirt weight A line of hands in the heat outside And a brass lock smiling on the favored side [Verse 1] I brought my boots and a bent-back name A pocket full of tax and a claim to blame They said hold still while the paper climbs Somebody's lobby got here on time [Pre-Chorus] Diamonds pass, paprika too Fertilizer rolls right through My small seed waits in a government crate [Beat of silence] Who gets mercy at the gate? [Chorus] Paprika at the gate, red as a warning sign Diamonds in the daylight, sparkling in the line Fertilizer moving while the poor dirt waits Tell me who wrote grace on the ledger at the gate [Verse 2] They call it relief when the right hands knock They call me patience when I watch the clock A rule is a wall till a friend walks near Then the hinges learn what money wants to hear [Chorus] Paprika at the gate, red as a warning sign Diamonds in the daylight, sparkling in the line Fertilizer moving while the poor dirt waits Tell me who wrote grace on the ledger at the gate [Bridge] [Stop-time Break] No king should keep a favor drawer No clerk should price the open door If law is law, let it stand up straight If not, it's just a velvet rope at the gate [Final Chorus] [Building] Paprika at the gate, red as a warning sign Diamonds in the daylight, sparkling in the line Fertilizer moving while the poor dirt waits We all deserve the same road through the gate [Outro] Red dust, white stones, black dirt weight Leave no man's freedom waiting at the gate
