​I'm in the middle of an island I'm in the middle of a sea I'm staying here 'cause there's no place left for me Yay yay yay I'm a lonely boy in a lonely world There's no place left for me I've been everywhere in the world there is I've sailed the seven seas But when I return it's always the same No one's waiting for me I'm a lonely boy in a lonely world So now I'll sail the seas once more Now I'll sail the seas

I've been having some hard times All my life I hope things change pretty soon Hard luck and bad news Has followed me from town to town All my life my luck's been down I'm getting so weary I don't have one friend Folks turn their backs when I'm around And where I walk the grass turns brown No one will come near me Hard luck and bad news Hard luck and bad news If you were in my shoes you'd die My life's been lonely I've never heard a kindly word Ugly names is all I've heard And mean is how they treat me Nobody trusts me They blame me for the fires in town Claim that hell is where I'm bound And pray that God will speed me Hard luck and bad news Hard luck and bad news If you were in my shoes you'd die Woo Life's not worth living My sorrow's more than I can say Tomorrow's just another day I hate to see the sun rise Yet maybe someday I'll find a man to call a friend I'll be his friend until the end In loneliness my heart cry Hard luck and bad news Hard luck and bad news If you were in my shoes you'd die [x2]

I was sitting in my kitchen Thinking about my life And how some men end up all alone Some men take a wife How old men get discouraged And young men go astray And for every sinful thing we do Somehow we will pay I got up to get my bible Some pages fell onto the floor Well it’s an old one that my father had And his father before It’s been with me since my childhood I was saved in '52 When I look back at my troubled life I give thanks I’ve made it through I am free, I can see And I’m who I wanna be (Ooh ooh ooh) Mercy me, mercy me, mercy me (Ooh) ​Yeah Na na na na na na na na na na Why does it take so long Na na na na na na na na To learn to stand and be strong I grew up in San Francisco In a real rough neighbourhood Where they beat you bad if you were tough And worse if you were good But I came through those times With a lot of love for those boys that knocked me down And I pray some day I’ll see them And we’ll be standing on sacred ground I am free, I can see And I'm who I wanna be (Ooh ooh ooh) Ah mercy me, mercy me, mercy me (Ooh) Oh yeah I am free (mercy mercy), I can see (mercy mercy) And I'm who I wanna be (Ooh ooh ooh) Mercy me, mercy me (yeah yeah), mercy me (Ooh) Yeah, woh woh ah yeah oh I am free (yeah yeah yeah), I can see I'm who I wan’ to be (Ooh ooh ooh) Oh ah I’m free, I can see ah ah ah ah ah Mercy me, mercy me, mercy me Yeah oh ah I am free (oh oh), I can see (Ooh I can see) And I'm who I want to be (Ooh ooh ooh) (Woh ho ho oh ho ho oh) (Mercy me, mercy me, mercy me) Mercy me now, mercy me, mercy me Yeah, yeah, he's coming back again (Oh oh oh oh) I am free, I can see Mercy, mercy, mercy, mercy (Ooh ooh ooh) Mercy me, mercy me, mercy me Ah mercy me ya-hey-hey-ah

I was playing guitar at 34th and M When a man said are you him I said am I who, he said I don’t know So ineluctably I gave him a scenario I said jump back, back in time Back to ‘68, I didn’t have a dime I was more poor than I’d ever been And I was living like an orphan In the city of sin Yeah, that’s right Uh huh oh Capitol Records, Hollywood and Vine I was following God, I was feeling fine I was preaching on the corner Singing in the streets An ancient message with a modern beat My hair was long I might’a dressed like a bum But my music made it clear Where I was coming from And where I’m going to When my life is done Well have you seen your brother baby Standing in the son ​In the son In the son

Don't believe in Beatles, I don't believe in rock I don't believe in the cutting edge, that's just journalist talk I don't believe in the cover story or the gospel chart You can easily hit number one with a bullet but totally miss the heart Oh I, yeah I believe in God I don't believe in politics while the masses stay unfed Till the leaders change priorities and supply the poor with bread Don't believe in the revolution or the empty words of peace You can tear all of the governments down, you still won't find release But I, oh I believe in God I believe in God I don't believe the papacy when fallible lies are told If they really want to help the poor they should sell some of their gold And I don't believe the Aryans are the master race If you think that Jesus is white you'd be surprised to see his face But I, oh I believe in God I believe in God Don't believe in Esperanto or the dreams of Babylon If we all spoke the same language, long ago we would'a built the bomb And I don't believe in money, the way lives are bought and sold And when the world is ended bankrupt I'm gonna walk the streets of gold No I don't believe in evolution, I was born to be free Ain't gonna let no anthropologist make a monkey out of me And I don't believe the devil, I ain't gonna be his slave And when I'm finished dying I'm a gonna bust out of my grave Oh I, yeah I Oh I, I and I Oh I, oh I believe in God I believe in God I believe in God I believe in God

​When you first begin your journey You're not sure of who you are And the lessons that you're learning They don't seem to take you far And you just can't keep from stumbling Though you try so hard to stand And the truth can be so humbling When it's just beyond your hand As though youth were my invention As though love lay undefined To stay free was my intention To stay young and unconfined And so I held my pride above you Oh yes what a fool was I Holding back those words God loves you And letting out that word goodbye I was wrong to let you go I was a child and I did not know About the love that we both could have given And now you're gone so far away I hope I'll see you again someday But if I don't, I hope I'll see you in heaven I was foolish in my younger days To think they'd never end Life confused me with its changing ways And I could not comprehend All the meaning in those moments Now lost like footprints in the sand And I'm standing here remembering But it's so hard to understand I was wrong to let you go I was a child and I did not know About the love that we both could have given And now you're gone so far away I hope I'll see you again someday But if I don't, I hope I'll see you in heaven I've been sitting in this garden In the middle of my days And my memories fade and harden As the years they slip away And I've been looking in this mirror At the age around my eyes Time is such an earnest labourer Precision is his neighbour Lay my body in the ground But let my spirit touch the skies And I was wrong to let you go I was a child, how could I know About the love that we both could have, should have given And now you're gone so far away I hope I'll see you again someday But if I don't, I hope I'll see you in heaven If I don't, I hope I'll see you in heaven Well if I don't, I hope I'll see you in heaven

One two one [Spoken] Well it ain’t no good to lay in bed at night And think about the past About how you coulda done things differently But they just happened way too fast Why don’t you close your eyes, go to sleep And let the angels bring you dreams Let those years unwind behind you And float away on silent streams You’ve got to live your life the best you can Though you sometimes do your worst You’ve got to laugh when you fail It doesn’t matter anyway Life is a play that’s unrehearsed Don’t make too many plans for tomorrow You can’t control what lies ahead Why don’t you try to live each moment as it comes instead (Ooh ooh) Sha la la la la la la la la la la (Ooh ooh) etc There’s no use dreaming of a perfect future (ooh ooh) Or regretting a troubled past It’s only today that counts So live it like it might be your last It’s only today that counts So live it like it might be your last Well it never helps to worry And it never hurts to pray And tomorrow will come soon enough You better take care of today You’ve got to learn to trust your life to God You know the future’s in his hands And only faith will help you meet your life’s demands Yeah There’s no use dreaming of a perfect future Or regretting a troubled past It’s only today that counts So live it like it might be your last It’s only today that counts So live it like it might be your last It’s only today that counts Live it like it might be your last It’s only today that counts Live it like it might be your last It’s only today that counts (yeah) Live it like it might be your last It’s only today that counts (yeah) Live it like it might be your last Come on, open up your heart and live Open up your heart and live You’ve got to live (live), live (live), live (live) He’s coming back pretty soon So come on, come on, come on live You’ve got to live (live), live (live) Do it while you can Don’t waste your time, don’t waste your time Make up your mind, make up your mind ​Come on​

I feel like dying, I've done all I can But I lost my woman, she ran off with another man (Aah) I think I'm dying, I'm feeling such pain (Aah) My life is trouble and I cannot take the strain (Aah) Well what am I gonna do about it What am I gonna do (Aah) What am I gonna do about it (Aah) What am I gonna do (Aah) I feel like dying, I've got nothing to lose (Aah) I know I need something but I do not need these blues (Aah) Oh I think I'm dying and this is the end (Aah) I need an answer, oh I need a friend (Aah) Well what am I gonna do about it (Aah) What am I gonna do (Aah) What am I gonna do about it (Aah) What am I gonna do (Aah) I feel like dying (Aah)

​I'm putting on my walking shoes, please help me find my hat It's time that I was leaving, got no time for looking back I'm going away, yeah feeling fine, wo-oh When it's time to go you've got to leave the past behind When I look out through my window, it's as dark as it could be But I know the son is coming to wake the world from sleep I'm going away, going away, feeling fine woah wo-oh And when you follow where he leads You've got to leave the past behind Man is born in trouble, everybody got the blues People looking for an answer, people wishing for good news So if you got the answer then there's one thing you must do You must tell them what you know and you must live a life that's true Wo-hoo Aoww man is born in trouble, everybody's got the blues People praying for an answer, people hoping for good news So if you know the answer there is one thing you must do You must walk, you must talk, you must hurry up to beat the clock You must tell them to get ready so they can leave the past behind Well my circle is completed, I've got to travel on So if you understand, don't talk about me when I'm gone I'm going away (going away) I'm going away (going away) I'm feeling fine, 89 is really 99 I'm going away, going away, going away Island in the sky is number nine I'm going away, going away, going away I'm feeling fine Well it's a good good feeling when you leave the past behind Yeah I've got to start another circle, got to leave the past behind Wo-ooh I'm going away, you won't see me for a while I gotta do some things, I got to walk an extra mile But I'll see you in the city of the lost angel ​I'm going away​

​Two three four [Spoken] You need twelve good men And I can only find eleven yeah-eh There are six young lions But I'm still waiting for number seven I may be living on earth But I am living for heaven Well man with a woman Is like a lizard on a rock Yeah something something something I can't remember what I had here right, I had totally better lyrics. Eh [Spoken] Well I don't say I understand it That's the way Solomon used to talk Yeah Allright lowve Weh-ah yeah yo Oh-an-wo-an-lo-aaah Yeah Allright, that sounds good Woo-hoo I got my black leather jacket The one I wore through all my youth Hmmm, I've got my black sunglasses Man I feel just like William Booth Yeah baby, don't ask me nothing 'bout nothing I just might tell you the truth Okay that sounds good. Eh but let me go get those other lyrics an' an' we'll do it again [Spoken]

​​I saw you come And I watched you go Your words of faith were just for show, mm hmm You sang so sweetly In the spotlight's glare So full of grace and savoire-faire Behind the curtain You're full of greed The things you want, the things you need, oh-oh-ah You pose for pictures Aim for the headlines But you will end up in the breadlines The only thing I know The only thing I know The only thing I know Is if you don't love the Lord, you'll fall You run in packs Full of pride Caught up in sins you've learned to hide You walk in darkness With friends and fools Who seek earth's gold Not heaven's jewels The more I give The more you take Endless desire became your ache Oh you call me friend Oh pretty please The smiles and warmth of enemies, enemies And the only thing I know The only thing I know The only, only thing I know Is if you don't love the Lord, you'll fall (Da da da da da ra da da) I had the blues (I've had the blues) But now I'm feeling well (But now I'm feeling well) You've got to aim for heaven (You've got to aim for heaven) Or you'll wake up in hell (Wake up, wake up in hell) You've got to fight that fight (Fight that fight) You've got to run that race (Run that race) Or you'll never see him face to face A soldier's heart A love of wealth A fear of death Soon will undermine your health Oh so remote And out of reach If you don't change You'll end up stranded at the, stranded at the beach You call it love God calls it lust You burn inside from lack of trust The thinning hair The lizard grip The dreams of glory slowly slip The only thing I know And the bible says it's so The only thing I know Is if you don't love the Lord you'll fall (If you don't love the Lord, if you don't love the Lord) ​You'll fall

The switch is off, the lights are out It took no special wisdom To pull the plug and cut the wires And now you're out of my system It took me years to change the gears I could barely twist 'em But now you're gone the tears have dried, I died Now you're out of my system You're out of my You're out of my system [x2] You led me on with words of love I just couldn't resist 'em baby You never meant those things you said, that's all right You're out of my system Wo oh oh oh You're out of my You're out of my system You're out of my You're out of my You're out of my You're out of my system [x2] You'd disappear until the morning light So many alibis I can't list 'em baby I used to lie awake at night, all right Now you're out of my You know you're out of my You ran around with other men Ooh you made love and kissed 'em baby But now you're gone do what you want I don't care because you're out of my You know you're out of my You're out of my You're out of my system You're out of my You're out of my You're out of my You're out of my system Yeah yeah yeah yeah

​Well I hope that somewhere out there is a woman for you And I hope that someday waiting is a baby or two 'Cause the best gifts in life are kids and a wife I’ve never wanted to be no star And I’m afraid that God is still the only reason That I pick up my guitar Oh oh oh [x3] When you’re awake I try to show you all the love I can give So you’ll have strength for the fight ‘Cause as you get older life gets harder to live I love you more than anything else on earth I think about you all the time And every night I’m praying that the second birth Will someday be the first thing on your mind Oh oh oh [x6] Love might be blind And life is very often so unkind But when you’re trying to live the way you should Sometimes you don’t know right from wrong and white from black And when you’re trying to love the best you can, baby you don’t hold nothing back Whoa oh oh whoa woah oh oh whoa woah oh Well I hope that when you’re older you will understand Why your life ain’t turning out exactly the way it was planned 'Cause everything keeps changing on this crazy planet Sometimes I don’t know what I can do, but I’m working hard for our future So be good to your mother and you’ll make your father happy too Oh oh oh [x2] Oh ah ah Oh oh oh [x3] Love might be blind And life is very often so unkind Sometimes you try to live the way you should Don’t know right from wrong, white from black And when I’m trying to love you the best that I can, baby I don’t hold nothing back Whoa oh oh ​ Oh oh oh [x2] Since you came into my life these last three years, I’ve felt a new kind of pain It really breaks my heart when each tour starts and you’re waving goodbye to the plane I’d like to live at home for the rest of my life and spend every day playing with you But that’s not the reason I was put on earth I gotta make my father happy too Whoa oh oh whoa oh oh, yes I do Mmm mm-hmm-mm-hmm-mm, oh oh ho whoa oh ho Oh oh oh ah oh oh ah oh oh Oh oh oh whoa oh oh ah oh-oh Well I hope that somewhere out there it’s all waiting for you And I hope that when you get there you know what to do If you fall down get back up, you know I love you so much And I hope that when you’re out there you will make it through Oh oh oh [x11] Ah ah ah

Me and my brother went to Russia We sang our songs and played our drums and guitars Am I supposed to be impressed with Glasnost Well what about the christians still behind bars Selah [x4] Oh oh ​Selah [x4] You ripped me off but I ain’t gonna sue you Our father doesn’t like it when we act that way Here take my cloak, but what good will it do ya You’d feel much better if we’d stop and pray Selah [x8]​

My woman left me, felt like she left me for another man You know it came as some surprise, it wasn't in the plan She never told me nothing was wrong, she didn't give me a clue But one morning there was a knock on the door and I found out we were through I saw my future fading and with the papers in my hand I found myself transported into this desert land My feet are burning, the hour is getting late My journey is much too long and time will not wait So heavenly father Thou who all doth see You let the rain fall on the good and the bad So let the rain fall down on me As through this life you ramble and through this world you roam You might live in a lot of places and never find your home As down the road you wander, through the open fields you cross You must never stop believing, for all is not lost And don't worry 'bout the unfaithful lover and false friend For the love that you have given is what matters in the end Heavenly father Thou who all doth see You let the rain fall on the good and the bad So let the rain fall down on me Oh let the rain fall, let it fall on me Oh let the rain fall down on me Life is complicated, very hard to live I try to turn my cheek to everything my enemies give I got a lot of compassion for the sinners and the slaves I've got a message for those not in their graves He will cover you with water and baptize your pain If you let his power wash you clean and soothe your fevered brain Oh heavenly father Help me thine to be You let the rain fall on the quick and the dead So let the rain fall down on me Let it fall I didn't know you were my father I thought you were the hanging judge And when I came into your courtroom I thought you'd hold a grudge I thought I was a lowly servant I didn't know I was your son And I didn't know you had forgiveness For anything I might have done This world is crumbling, your kingdom is at hand Give me the strength to live and help me to stand There's gonna be a collision, the world is going fast A mortgaged future meets a bankrupt past A change is coming and people slumber in their bed Storm clouds are bringing rain, the moon is turning red Heavenly father Thou who all doth see You let the rain fall on the good and the bad So let the rain fall on me Dearest father Help me thine to be You know the rain falls on the quick and the dead So let the rain fall down on me Let the rain fall down on me Let it fall on me Let it fall on me Let this good life be the life we lead Let our faith grow like a mustard seed Let his love be all the love we need To carry us all the way home

​Goodbye, farewell We'll meet again Somewhere beyond the sky I pray that you will stay with God Goodbye my friends, goodbye The light grows dim But in this hour I have no tears to cry My heart is full My joy complete Goodbye my friends, goodbye I feel no loss of hope as I've grown older Only this worlds weight upon my shoulder My heart beats to a slower song So softly in my veins The night is warm but in my sleep I dream of heaven's rain Everything I am I’ve tried to show you In this life I’ve been so blessed to know you Goodbye, farewell We’ll meet again Somewhere beyond the sky I pray that you will walk with God Goodbye my friends, goodbye Goodbye my friends, goodbye