He handled snakes
He dared them to bite
He put his lips to the strychnine
And he inhaled

He took the news advice
Spent less time indoors
Tried drugs, tried church
The combination worked

Confused, but more than willing
That's when it all stopped working
Tried nihilism
Couldn't afford the vacation

He took the new advice
Spent less time outdoors
Tried drugs again
Tried church again

At last, he heard the voice
A black cloud with a gray lining
At least we had a choice
But he was cursed from the beginning

Night and day, he struggled
To make his own way in time
We crawl just like our fathers
0 miles to get a dime

It took a decade
The flip of a broken coin
Said he owed it to the pastor
Who said he'd save this boy

Night and day, he struggled
To make his own way in time
We crawl just like our mothers
10 miles to get a dime

It took a decade to flip that broken coin
It took a decade to get it in his mind

(At the gates of hell)
(Pretend you're saved)
(At the gates of hell)
(Pretend you're brave)
(At the gates of hell)
(Pretend you're saved)

With an everlasting rust
We dragged our names into the dust
Stripped of love, stripped of skin
Built a wall, but they let us in

A steel box never unsealed
Isolated in a verdant field
A phony ring of protection
Bought online from a fake white shaman

Clenched my teeth all the way down
When my therapist said to smile
Kill your mind, lit by fire
Once, I dreamt we heard the choir

Away with God, away with love
Our hands are tied and stepped on
Away with God, away with love
Our hands are tied and stepped on

Away with God, away with love
Our hands are tied and stepped on
Away with God, away with love
Our hands are tied and stepped on