I was a poor boy,
Papa, when you decided you would make me wealthy
I had the sickness in my bones
I was sure enough far from home
You made me healthy
I was rejected, dejected, uncorrected,
unprotected, defected from my people
I was contriving, cliff diving, capsizing,
no freedom rising from that deep hole

But you made free, and I must sing
You baptized me, just doin' your thing

I had the feeling all along
that there was something peering strong over my shoulder
And it got closer through the years
through abandonment and tears as I got older
Hitchhiking through the wilderness
and bearing all my consequence I was a stranger
You picked me up on sixty six,
met me with love and kindness instead of anger

And you made me free, and I must sing
You baptize me, just doin' your thing

Now it's a quarter 'til the clock strikes,
And hopefully the shock might
Hit you like a rock fight or like a butcher's block might
Quick as lightning shock kite comes the key to lock tight
The door on which he knock right now until it's not night
Everybody walk tight rope until their chalk white hopes
Are wiped away by the wind
If the devil's your friend you got a burden on your back
And some poison in your blood
It's a burden to unpack, leave it behind in the mud
Click clack goes the old smoke stack and when it leaves
It ain't never coming back
So you best be ready when the train comes steady
It's rollin' heavy 'round the bends, get on board my friend
For the land of Lord cause the levee's gonna break, in the end

You made me free, and I must sing
You baptized me, just doin' your thing