You Say You Know What God Wants (and You Say That I Don’t)

[Verse 1] Word gets around a town like this Faster than a fever, meaner than a fist They didn’t like my gods, didn’t like my name Didn’t like a woman who wouldn’t play ashamed So they wrote me down in their little book Traded every fact for a dirty look Three thousand years or a Tuesday night — It’s the same old stones, the same porch light [Pre-Chorus] And I can hear the hoofbeats coming up my street Casseroles and scripture, oh they’re gonna save me Well save your breath — [Chorus] You say you know what God wants And you can say that I don’t That’s fine with me and fine with God You speak to yours and I’ll speak to mine I’ll be the woman at the window Painting my eyes while the riders come You call it vanity, I call it war I was dressed for this before you were born [Verse 2] Yeah I’ve done wrong — I’ll sign my name to mine But you hung me for the crimes you designed Called me a temptress, never touched a soul Easier than saying I just wouldn’t be controlled Your grandmothers whispered it, your daughters will too Jezebel, Jezebel — like it’s something I should rue But honey, look it up, read it slow some time The paint was never for a man The paint was the battle line [Pre-Chorus 2] And I can hear them praying on my front lawn Bless their hearts, they brought the whole congregation Well bless mine too — [Chorus] [Bridge] (stripped, low, almost amused — then rising) Throw me down Go on, throw me down Let your dogs have the rest You’ll keep my skull, my hands, my feet — The parts that thought The parts that worked The parts that walked away from you And a hundred years from now Some girl in this town Paints her eyes at her window And doesn’t know why it feels Like standing up [Final Chorus] (full production, alto blazing) You say you know what God wants And you can say that I don’t That’s fine with me and fine with God You speak to yours and I’ll speak to mine I’ll be the woman at the window Every stone you throw just proves me right You call it vanity, I call it war And war looks good on me tonight [Outro] (whispered over fading pulse) Fine with me… Fine with God… You speak to yours… I’ll speak to mine