I don't wanna get up for church in the mornin,
church in the mornin, souls alive!
Heaven come to earth and there won't be no church
we'll meet down by the riverside,
there we'll swim with all creation,
never get tired never bored,
don't worry someday there'll be no dam between us and our Lord

In Jackson you keep you hoods up, you keep your hoods up, and you stay up late,
oh in Jackson, you keep your hoods up, keep your hoods up and stay out late.

Well we don't mind a cold night but we might mind if you leave too soon
so come on now, it's still early besides what else are you gonna do?

As we kissed in the alley by the Michigan Theater ,
the falling snow was glowing in the lights of the downtown
I saw a spark in your eyes I just spoke it
they said “we're gonna turn this whole place upside down”
then you said “my dear do you really mean this?” I said, “I only know what I feel right now.”

Poets lie but sometimes it comes true, stay awake with me and we'll see what we can do,
Poets lie but sometimes it comes true, stay awake with me and we'll see what we can do,
in our town

I don't wanna get up for church in the mornin,
church in the mornin, souls alive!
Heaven come to earth and there won't be no church
we'll meet down by the riverside,
there we'll swim with all creation,
never get tired never bored,
don't worry someday there'll be no dam between us and our Lord

In Jackson you keep you hoods up, you keep your hoods up, and you stay up late,
oh in Jackson, you keep your hoods up, keep your hoods up and stay out late.

This is the kind of place people get stuck in, yeah people get stuck here but I chose to stay
for if you ever want to know something or know someplace you just can't know them all
so at some point you must make a choice and choose someplace and someone and make a home
there was a time not long ago when we'd look out this window and see a wolf pack running free
except there'd be no window or this building separating us from all the life we see
behold the Lord makes all things new; that sounds good I wanna do it to
oh dear God, destroy my city! Make it a place that the wolves think pretty
so they come back here and stay I wanna hear their howl someday
in my life time in my place before my body's in the grave
before my body's down in the grave in my place

I don't wanna get up for church in the mornin,
church in the mornin, souls alive!
Heaven come to earth and there won't be no church
we'll meet down by the riverside,
there we'll swim with all creation,
never get tired never bored,
don't worry someday there'll be no dam between us and our Lord

In Jackson you keep you hoods up, you keep your hoods up, and you stay up late,
oh in Jackson, you keep your hoods up, keep your hoods up and stay out late.

We're all just a bunch of hoodlums
the skies are always gray, just like the ground
of post-industry ruins we grew up around
hope to my neighbors, family, and old friends, hope to all desperate and beat-down
we're all beat-down



Groans of the dying are trying to rise from the sprawl
souls of wounded sing hoarsely if they can at all
we all loves leaves' colors, sweet ciders of fall
til it turned to technique perfecting winter on the whole earth
now it's all one big subdivision
icy cold though I'm told can be melted by God
we drove looking but slipped and went into a ditch,
walked to find God's house, couldn't tell which was which
of if only I knew where God's house was to find
I would lie on Her couch and then speak all my mind
What should we do, just watch as this whole world gets worse?
Naw, we're told “blessed are those souls who for justice thirst”
but that You will quench this they all tell me “be sure”
You're the one to start the fire, for Your fire is so pure
but I don't wanna go out like no prophets of baal
well baal never showed up though they danced and they yelled
yet I know I'm afraid of what my words imply
deep down I am not ready to face up to Your fire...

O-kay oh mystery mercy me may it be
O-kay oh mystery mercy me may it be
O-kay oh mystery mercy me may it be
holy Thee we all need You, You know us we hope
that's the grove of oak leave where faith's fire could glow

but it's so hard out here in the cold, when it seems all we do is wait and get old
it's so hard out here in the cold, when it seems all we do is wait and get old

la de di, la de di, la de di, la de di...