[Detuned church bells, distant thunder, fingerpicked acoustic guitar] [Whispered female vocal] Come Sunday morning, they’ll all be there… Best wear your halo, if you dare. [Verse 1] Sheriff’s got a bottle in his desk drawer, Takes cash from the rich to keep shut the law. Preacher’s got a mistress on the county line, Says a little white lie is a holy man’s right. Missus May knows what happened out back, But she keeps her mouth shut for a Cadillac. Everybody’s clean in their Sunday clothes, Everybody’s damned, but nobody knows. [Pre-Chorus] They bow their heads, they close their eyes, Say “Amen” while the truth just dies. There’s a whole lot of praying in this town, But heaven ain’t looking down. [Chorus] God doesn’t live here, not anymore, There’s blood on the steps and a lock on the door. The rich man’s laughing, the poor man’s gone, The choir keeps singing while the guilty walk on. They say we’re blessed, they say we’re saved, But the devil’s got a key to every grave. Raise your hands, let the church bells ring, God doesn’t live here… if He ever did. [Verse 2] Judge McCall’s got a son who drives too fast, Left a girl in a ditch, buried the past. Daddy paid the lawyer, Mama lit a candle, By Friday night, the whole thing was handled. At the diner, they whisper, then they smile, Everybody’s innocent for a little while. There’s a name scratched deep in the courthouse wall, But nobody speaks it, not one soul at all. [Pre-Chorus] They bow their heads, they close their eyes, Swear on the Book, then swear their lies. There’s a whole lot of praying in this town, But heaven ain’t coming down. [Chorus] God doesn’t live here, not anymore, There’s blood on the steps and a lock on the door. The rich man’s laughing, the poor man’s gone, The choir keeps singing while the guilty walk on. They say we’re blessed, they say we’re saved, But the devil’s got a key to every grave. Raise your hands, let the church bells ring, God doesn’t live here… if He ever did. [Instrumental Break] [Dirty electric guitar, stomping kick drum, church bells ringing out of time] [Bridge] I found the names in a ledger downstairs, Every bribe, every body, every whispered prayer. The preacher, the sheriff, the judge and the mayor, All signed in ink like they never had a care. I could tell the world, I could burn it all down, But the truth’s just another ghost in this town. So I’ll leave this book where the lost souls sleep, Let the righteous read what the righteous keep. [Breakdown] [Music drops to a single acoustic guitar; intimate, almost spoken vocal] The steeple still stands… The cemetery grows… And the only thing holy Is the silence we chose. [Final Chorus] [Full band explodes; layered harmonies, fierce youthful lead vocal] God doesn’t live here, not anymore, There’s blood on the steps and a lock on the door. The rich man’s laughing, but the truth’s come on, And the names in that ledger won’t stay buried long. They say we’re blessed, they say we’re saved, But the devil’s got a key to every grave. Let the whole world hear those church bells ring, God doesn’t live here… And we know everything. [Outro] [Church bells slow, guitar fades into distant thunder] [Soft, chilling vocal] Come Sunday morning, they’ll all be there… But nobody’s listening to their prayers.
