The Coming

Jesus turned in his crown of thorns today And announced to the Earth and the Heavens the end of his reign And took a seat next to the Devil and said "I need a new name" And the coming never came My whole life, I fervently served him and obeyed And I walked through this world full of sinners And I kept them at bay 'Cause there's only enough room at his table for the souls that are saved And they're coming to shut the gate You're too little and too late And you can't get in on that name But I don't buy it I refuse to think that my best friend's going to Hell anymore And condescend to offer her a key to her salvation Like it's something I have and can afford And I won't blame my parents for clinging to the good It helps that it makes sense of it all And believing in a story like it was the Bible When it was just a tale made tall Hey ya Hey Hey ya Now I wake up to the most spirit-rattling scare As I'm losing my religion, layer by layer 'Cause it's triggering all of the trip lines and the traps and the snares It's that old device called fear That old device called fear And now it's the long ride through the unknown which I embrace And the cops and the robbers, and the cowboys and the injuns Have got the same face We're just each of us doing our best to get by day by day And Heaven is yours to take, and the choices day by day Bring us closer or further way I understood the risk that asking any kind of question Could unravel me with one small fray But I looked in my closet filled with ignorance, intolerance And a fear that was turning to hate And that is not the meaning or intention of the teaching Or the truth from which the message came And I can't turn a blind eye to centuries of conflict and wrongdoing in his name His name Hey ya Hey ya Jesus turned in his crown of thorns today And announced to the Earth and the Heavens the end of his reign And took a seat next to the Devil and said "I need a new name" And the coming never came