[Verse 1]
Been talkin’ to the ceiling fan
Blades just spin, won’t say my name
Ashtray full of almost prayers
Burned down before they reached the flame
My fingers got their stories wrong
Bent these strings in every bar
Every lie I wrapped in song
Cut another notch into this guitar
[Chorus]
So God
If You’re listenin’ through the smoke and the scars
I ain’t askin’ for a mansion or a brand-new start
Just wash this rust from my hands
And the dust from these bars
If You can’t forgive the man
Then forgive this guitar
(yeah… this poor guitar)
[Verse 2]
I sold Sunday for a Friday night
Traded scripture for a bathroom stall
Wrote Your name in a shaky line
Then crossed it out on a crumpled wall
Mama said You keep the books
Every debt, every quiet sin
I been payin’ with these crooked hooks
But the tab just keeps rollin’ in
[Chorus]
So God
If You’re listenin’ through the smoke and the scars
I ain’t askin’ for a mansion or a brand-new start
Just wash this rust from my hands
And the dust from these bars
If You can’t forgive the man
Then forgive this guitar
(oh, let it slide, let it slide)
[Bridge]
[Guitar drops to soft, raw chords]
Maybe You remember when I was a kid
Humming little hallelujahs into my pillow
Now it’s backroom deals and motel sheets
And a busted case in the hallway, sittin’ like a widow
I fake my faith in the spotlight glare
But when the crowd goes home, it’s just me and this chair
Me and this neck full of calloused regret
I talk, You’re quiet
But the strings answer yet
[Chorus]
So God
If You’re listenin’ through the smoke and the scars
I ain’t askin’ for a mansion or a brand-new start
Just wash this rust from my hands
And the dust from these bars
If You can’t forgive the man
Then forgive this guitar
(please… this old guitar)
[Outro]
[Everything fades, lone voice and guitar]
If there’s mercy left in who You are
Take me slow
But spare
This guitar