V1.
I was born beside the Erie in the summertime,
And lived inside the rust buckle 'till the age of nine.
I broke the rules of the preacher and his blessed little wife.

I turned the left side of truth into the center of life,
I pulled the grey and the gold out of the black and the white.
I've got a heart that's full of equal parts of fear and faith, and they say...
Unless God appears first, I will die that way.

CHORUS.
I sing sad songs.
I get high some.
I got nothin' to prove,
Baby winnin' or lose I'm the same... and I say
Unless God appears first, I will die this way.

V2.
I remember kissin' Julie on a Friday night
I told her she was the one and then she let me inside.
I stole the trust of a woman who was only ever kind.

I called her after a year, in a moment of need
She didn't mention that night or ask no penance of me.
I was convicted and forgiven in an instant on that day.
And I say, unless God appears first, I got debts to pay.

CHORUS.
I sing sad songs.
I get high some.
I got nothin' to prove,
Baby winnin' or lose I'm the same... and I say
Unless God appears first, I will die this way.

BRIDGE:
And if heaven comes, or I hear it calling
From the mansions behind pearly gates...
I'll go at night, or on horses of fire
Through whirlwind and wire
With a grin on my face.
Unless God appears first, I will fly away.