Silence Between the Prayers

Well it did my heart good to see that priest
With a guitar slung on his back
And it did my heart good to see that tree
Mostly living but some burnt black

And it did my heart good to sing with people
In communion once again
But it was the silence between the prayers
When I heard you echo my amen

And it was your voice, a voice that whispered
In a language plain but rare
It was the voice, the voice of mystery
In a silence between the prayers

(Then the preacher...)

Well the priest he taught us what God intended
How he holds us in our misery (miserere nobis...)
But I could not hear him 'cause I was listening
To the story of that lightning-struck tree

And it was your voice, a voice that whispered
In a language plain but rare
It was the voice, the voice of mystery
In a silence between the prayers

Broken tree, wooden cross
A loaf of bread and a cup of wine
The son, the breeze, the altar table
Clapping hands and dancing chimes

And they put a red rope 'round where tongues of fire
Had licked that mighty tree
And the people came 'round though they weren't supposed to
'Cause they had to touch the mystery

And it was your voice, a voice that whispered
In a language plain but rare
It was the voice, the voice of mystery
In a silence between the prayers