Pulled off the highway in Missouri
And lo, our hearts were heavy laden
Made for the chapel with some spraypaint
For all the things we'd held in secret

Lord, lift up these lifeless bones
Light cascading through the windows
All the rainbow's heavy tones

He has fixed his sign in the sky
He has raised me from the pit and set me high

Left that place in ruin
Drunk on the spirit and high on fumes
Checked into a Red Roof Inn
Stayed up for several hours and then slept like infants

In the burning fuselage of my days
Let my mouth be ever fresh with praise

He has fixed his sign in the sky
He has raised me from the pit and set me high

Each morning new
Each day shot through
With all the sharp, small shards of shrapnel
That seem to burst out of me and you

Head down toward Kansas
We will get there when we get there, don't you worry
Feel bad about the things we do along the way
But not really that bad

We inhaled the frozen air
Lord, send me a mechanic if I'm not beyond repair

He has fixed his sign in the sky
He has raised from the pit and he will set me high



Lyrics submitted by mdon06, edited by irate13, embassyrow

Track duration: 03:15


Psalms 40:2 song meanings
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11 Comments

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  • 0
    My Interpretation:All I've ever heard John say about the song is that it's about desecrating a church and not delving much deeper into it than that. It seems like he always makes a point to leave the interpretation of his songs to his listeners instead of blatantly spelling out his own intent.

    He's said many times that he used to be a Catholic but now, he definitely isn't and definitely doesn't believe in God so his meaning for the song is definitely different from the meaning I get from it.

    But to me, it's about desecrating a church in a sense of abandoning the corruption, the hypocrisy, and false doctrine. It's a song about mysticism, about saying "forget what people tell me about God. They may be right, they maybe wrong and maybe the way God works for them isn't the way he works for me. I will learn first hand from God himself." A song about people fed up with whats been given them trying to find the answers themselves. They certainly don't have them, but they thirst. deeply.
    Flag PiGGmalionon April 21, 2013   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:It's about using faith to empower you. Assuming that your actions are a manifestation of God's will. Allowing you to dismiss personal responsibility in doing immoral things because you have faith, or at least the promise that you will one day be forgiven for the sins of today.

    "God send me a mechanic if I am not beyond repair" is an interesting line.
    It's justified rebellion here: I act how I want. God will correct me, or else he doesn't mind that I am incorrect.

    The speaker follows God strictly because God is powerful (Fixed his sign in the sky) and not out of a need for hope, peace, truth, or morality. He respects only the power, and his allegiance to God is one strictly of submission to authority.
    Flag Seikeon May 27, 2011   Link
  • 0
    Lyric Correction:Minor typos;

    "With all the sharp small shards of shrapnel
    that seem to burst out of me and you"
    Flag chuxvomon November 17, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:That's the Precious Moments Chapel in Carthage, MO. The Roadside America entry:
    roadsideamerica.com/tour/…
    Flag wilkinsoon June 17, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Intense.

    Lord, send me a mechanic
    if I'm not beyond repair.
    Flag ExoM7on June 10, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:The first line should read, "Lo our hearts," echoing biblical diction.
    Flag RevAKMAon May 31, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:The first line should read, "Lo our hearts," echoing biblical diction.
    Flag RevAKMAon May 31, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:john has said that it's about some teenagers defacing a church.

    & subsequently, i'm assuming, about equal parts bitterness and reverence towards religion.
    Flag snapmagicon January 18, 2010   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:I get the sense of a religious fanatic trying to send a message to mainstream worshipers, kind of like a modern day Martin Luther, but instead of nailing his complaints to the church doors, he's using spray paint, "tagging for the Lord," you might say. The music matches so well the sense that the narrator feels that he really has found the answer to things the rest of us don't understand, and that he has a duty (and desperate need) to share it with us.
    Flag crackityj0neson January 04, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:This song is so fucking killer. Maniacal faith, in a good way.
    Flag ABookOnAShelfon October 06, 2009   Link

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