Keys

Does the bustle of big cities
Hold the keys to making men
Or are they made by tools and toil
An honest day demands
I was told once
only battle could save me
from my own worthlessness
My generation needed it some death
You ain’t a man he said
Until you’ve dealt some death
But I’ve seen daylight shine
near twice as bright
in the eyes of younger men
And that brightness turn
to blackest coal
When fixed to bitter ends
Only mothers see the darkening
Of heart and temperament
In silence do they grieve
as child turns walking dead
And you tell me that a man
just ain’t a man
Until he’s dealt some death
This is how my faith
came to be shattered
in these troubled times
While others drew theirs closer
Sure of favor in gods eyes
On a sick wind
I’ve watched prayers ascend
Bereft of holy light
Finding homes among the hopeless
Filling hollow insides
Singing hallelujah brothers
God is on our side
So if your spirit is unwilling
And your flesh feels old and weak
But you speak such words
of righteousness
Your voice doth shake the trees
Well think about it brother
Who would teach you these things?
Would a god of love
have you on your knees
Now, tell me what side are you on
And in what do you believe?
So does the bustle of big cities
Hold the keys to making men
Or are they made by tools and toil
An honest day demands
I was told once
only battle could save me
from my own worthlessness
Yeah, my generation needed it
some death
You ain’t a man he said
Until you’ve dealt some death