The Prayer

[Verse 1]
The deadbolt clicks against the winter wind,
While the shadows stretch long across the pine.
I’m back in the front row, kneeling down again,
Between the holy water and the cheap communion wine.
I ain't here to talk about my own heavy soul,
I’m just checking on the names I’m hired to keep whole.
[Chorus]
Lord, have mercy on the hands that work the dirt,
And put a little healing on the places where they hurt.
Watch over the mothers and the boys in the bars,
Underneath these lonesome, West Texas stars.
The roof’s got a leak and the collection’s thin,
But they’re good people, Lord, despite all the sin.
[Verse 2]
There's Miller out there, staring at a pink slip,
Trying not to let his temper get a hold.
I see him on Sundays, white-knuckled grip,
Fearing he’s worth less than the silver and the gold.
And the widow Johnson, she’s still haunting the back,
Searching for a ghost in a dress of faded black.
[Chorus]
So have mercy on the hands that work the dirt,
And put a little healing on the places where they hurt.
Watch over the mothers and the boys in the bars,
Underneath these lonesome, West Texas stars.
The roof’s got a leak and the collection’s thin,
But they’re good people, Lord, despite all the sin.
[Bridge]
I’m the one who tells 'em that it’s gonna be alright,
While I’m wrestling with the quiet in the middle of the night.
Sometimes I wonder if You’re listening at all,
Or if I’m just whispering to a limestone wall.
[Chorus]
Lord, have mercy on the hands that work the dirt,
And put a little healing on the places where they hurt.
Watch over the mothers and the boys in the bars,
Underneath these lonesome, West Texas stars.
The roof’s got a leak and the collection’s thin,
But they’re good people, Lord, despite all the sin.
[Outro]
The candles are flickering, burning down low,
I’ve said what I can, now I’ll let it go.
I’ll turn off the lights and I’ll hang up the key...
Keep 'em safe, Lord.
And maybe... keep an eye on me
.

Gravelly Outlaw Country, raw male voice, solo acoustic guitar, whiskey-soaked, mournful, lonesome, gritty, sparse, sad