It's a Comin'

We were camped in the desert
 
A permanent place
 
No one knew God had gone
 
But they were still a plantin.
 
 Struggling get roots deep down
 
In dusty old ground
 
 “We will establish a church
 
With hard work and cash”
 
Too busy to see 
 
The cloud moved on
 
 
 
Told it was gonna rain
 
Wow, the preacher produced different type of thunder cloud
 
 Strutin away
 
Waxing downright eloquent
 
High on a stage
 
An incredible show
 
 Powerful words
 
Perspiration was runnin
 
You had to look out His spit was a  flyin 
 
Veins protruded around his apple red neck 
 
I sincerely hoped  he wouldn’t stroke
 
The crowd yelled  “preach it, preach it”
 
I was Carried with the tide
 
I called “bring it on, praise God”
 
I didn’t know
 
I was being filled with religious pride
 
He was a preachin and a condemin
 
A downright Hollywood display
 
But In my bed I trembled 
 
 Scared
 
If the preacher was right 
 
And the rapture was true
 
Will they all go 
 
Will I be left to stay
 
 
 
No one told me it just don’t rain where cactus grow
 
But have you heard of artificial rain
 
The preacher made it
 
The people drank it
 
Men in three piece suits
 
Women in long white dresses
 
They cheered  on the preacher man
 
Drinking the artificial rain
 
 
 
It was four men 
 
They stepped on the stage
 
 A barber shop quartet 
 
I was confused again
 
They didn’t look like barbers
 
In perfect matching attire
 
The crowd did swoon
 
 In strange harmony they sung
 
I didn’t understand
 
I was used to Led Zeppelin
 
 
 
Eyes filled with dust
 
We from the street
 
Bewildered in a  thirst
 
Someone needed to say
 
“You can’t drink artificial rain” 
 
 
 
It was 50 years ago
 
That hope was bliss
 
The Spirit wasn’t in the sky
 
He was with us
 
On the street
 
Innocence, adventure, love
 
A strange wonderful purity
 
Folk guitar in hand
 
Our church was the parks, the beach
 
Street songs
 
Sweet songs
 
No more drugs
 
No more sex 
 
We were special to Him
 
He made sure we knew
 
The world called us the JESUS FREAKS
 
We didn’t mind
 
 
We honestly thought
 
 He was just with us 
 
It came as a shock 
 
Someone said 
 
“He was in church buildings”
 
Far-out 
 
Excited
 
Let's go and see
 
THE ENCOUNTER WAS NOT THE GLORY WE SOUGHT
 
Some churches demanded
 
“Get your shoes on boy and get a hair cut
 
You are entering the house of God 
 
Come back when you look like us”
 
 
 
It was culture shock
 
May as well had been in China
 
With nowhere else to go
 
 Into the cage we went
 
 
 
A few real good men
 
Some mothering moms
 
Helped keep us sane
 
 
 Some very bad men
 
Looking pretty holy 
 
Fooled us for a while
 
 
 
What we left behind in our quest for truth
 
It was there in the church 
 
Of polished shoes and suits 
 
It was hard to take in
 
There was lust unchecked 
 
Between Sunday to Sunday
 
 In clandestine dark
 
Things committed in secret
 
WRONG THINGS
 
A young street lad's wife 
 
Taken by his friend the preacher
 
A burden the young idealist had to bear
 
It changed his life
 
This happens to men
 
There is no power to be pure
 
Drinking artificial rain
 
 
 
Oh, where are the streets
 
The simple love
 
A guitar and a beach
 
I don’t like this building 
 
Built in the desert
 
I found lizards there
 
 They are sure they captured God
 
And God likes them the best
 
 
 
HEY! LISTEN EVERYBODY
 
THE STREETS ARE A COMIN 
 
THEY ARE ONCE AGAIN
 
BUT FILLED WITH GOLD
 
IT’S COMIN FROM THE FUTURE
 
IT’S LIKE A BREATH
 
A HOLY WIND
 
ONLY THE INNOCENT 
 
AND FORGIVEN WILL BEHOLD
 
HE’S A COMIN FOR THEM
 
I HEAR IT 
 
I FEEL IT
 
I SEE IT
 
JOY
 
ADVENTURE 
 
 LOVE
 
MAN WILL NOT DEFINE THE DiVINE
 
LOVE WILL DEFINE MAN
 
HE’S COMIN TO BRING PEACE TO ALL
 
HE WILL OPEN THE CAGES
 
 THE EAGLES WILL FLY
 
 
HE WILL BREAK THE STRUCTURES
 
OF THE INVISIBLE IDOL
 
THE WORD WITHOUT THE SPIRIT
 
THE CHURCH WITHOUT LOVE
 
 
THE LAME WILL WALK
 
THE BLIND WILL SEE
 
BROKEN HEARTS MENDED
 
JOY AND PEACE
 
WE WILL LEARN TO BE
 
AT REST AND SING
 
THE SONGS OF THE KINGDOM
 
 ON GOD’S BEACH WITH BEAUTIFUL SAND
 
             AND 
 
YOU WILL BE ABLE TO TRUST YOUR WIFE
 
WITH THE PREACHER MAN
 
           “HE’S A COMIN”
 
                   Dan