Wash Me Whiter

[Verse 1]
I kept my secrets in the dark
Thought if I buried them
They’d fade
But every shadow knew my name
Every quiet night
Betrayed
I see the mess on these two hands
I feel the weight in every bone
I hear my own heart testifying
I can’t outrun what I have sown
[Chorus]
So wash me whiter than the first snow falling
Break these bones and let them dance again
Take this heart of stone
Oh God
I’m calling
Make me clean inside this skin
Wash me whiter
Wash me whiter
Than I’ve ever been
[Verse 2]
You want truth under the tongue
Deep in the places no one sees
I tried to patch what I had torn
But mercy doesn’t come from me
Don’t cast me from the love I’ve known
Don’t let Your presence drift away
Light a fire in this hollow chest
I’m clinging to Your name today
[Chorus]
So wash me whiter than the first snow falling
Break these bones and let them dance again
Take this heart of stone
Oh God
I’m calling
Make me clean inside this skin
Wash me whiter
Wash me whiter
Than I’ve ever been
[Bridge]
Open my lips and I’ll sing
Not with pride
But with a broken ring (oh oh)
You don’t delight in what I bring
You’re near the heart that’s shattering
[Chorus]
So wash me whiter than the first snow falling
Break these bones and let them dance again
Take this heart of stone
Oh God
I’m calling
Make me clean inside this skin
Wash me whiter
Wash me whiter
Than I’ve ever been

Rustic folk-rock ballad in the vein of modern acoustic anthems: bright banjo rolls and earthy fiddle lines over a steady kick and warm, droning cello. Male vocals, intimate and cracked in the verses, then rising into a ragged, shout-along chorus with stacked harmonies. Dynamics build from hushed confession to cathartic release, ending on a gentle, unresolved chord and a lone voice., male vocals, cello