St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church Blues

Stained-glass and the choir sing out that strong and ceaseless chorus here
 So sweet the voices, sweep like leaves into the street
 On Easter, a celebration carried on for God and hope and refuge
 To keep each other, life; give shelter from the storm. And keep warm
 The congregation gathers outside in the parking lot, each service done
 They keep the old hymn rolling on and on and
 I see the scene in color each day driving out to Eastown
 That old abandoned church and have I gone the same sad way?
 Have I gone the same sad way?
 Through the sixties flourished and the seventies in flux
 The eighties fluctuate each year unclear of when the money would dry up
 And when the nineties violent crime and rising unemployment rates came by
 That parking lot grew dim and thin of sinners and saints
 Until the voices, unceasing, slowly faded to black
 Until the weeds stormed the concrete from unattended cracks
 It had to know, had to feel that glory never coming back
 Like I could feel it when the passion left, the last of what I had
 It had to know like I knew
 
 And I can't find it back
 Might not ever
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 Ten years now standing vacant
 Ten years on empty, maybe more
 Once held the faith of hundreds
 Soon one more cell phone store
 For years they gathered here
 Inside the building sound and true
 To sing their praises to a god that gave them hope
 To carry on, to carry through
 So, I've been thinking about that
 Sometimes go slow when I drive by
 How a home of stone and a house so holy
 Grows so empty over time
 What gave those people purpose
 Past death approaching constantly
 Now left to crumble slowly
 Now left to wither with the weeds
 Now left to ice and vandals
 The advent candles long since gone
 The old foundation shifting hard
 The concrete overgrown, but
 That stained-glass window sits untouched amongst the brickwork worn
 A symbol of the beauty only perfect at that moment we were born
 And just the other day I swear I saw a man there
 Pulling weeds out of the concrete, sweeping up and patching cracks
 I saw him lift a rag to wash the years of filth from off those windows
 Made me wonder if there's anyone like that for you and me and
 Anybody else who broke and lost hope