Sacristy

When the Benedict bells ring, do they make you think of me You and me inside the sacristy with the wafers and the wine My blood pumping like the organ, holding bibles in our hands You the Canaan land, forbidden and fine When I hear the bells of St. Jude, they make me think of you And all the pretty birds that flew from your mouth into mine My swallows almost set to singing, sparrows almost took to wing But if they knew anything, it's that God's eyes were on them all the time You said, the red velvet plate with the quarters, let's take them We'll build ourselves a house on the hill We can draw the holy water Water from our own well In the hollers and the badlands, in the missionary van You dressed up in your sunburn, I hid under mine And in the evenings at the altar, father taught us how to pray For all the soulsick and the sinners You grinned at me, you said, that's you and I And you said, the red velvet plate with the quarters, let's take them We'll build ourselves a house on the hill We can draw the holy water Water from our own Well, when God spoke to Samuel Do you think it sounded like the Benedict bells Every one ringing out cracked and proud and clear Back then I thought that we were serpents, I thought we brought the flood Thought we turned water into blood, I thought we drank a wicked wine But really you, you were an apple, and me, I was a dove Eating manna from above, I guess you knew that all the time You know the red velvet plate with the quarters, I took them I built myself a house on the hill And now I'm drawing holy water So won't you come where the bells are ringing, you'll find me Here in my house on the hill We can draw the holy water Water from our own well Water from our own well Water from our own well