Passing the Hat
Communion of Confessions: Stealing, Sacrifice, and the Sweet Baltic Seas
Lyrics
Look up from the hymnal, look 'round at the faces of families closing their eyes
Observing faces of families closing their eyes during a hymn
We're taking communion and passing the offering hat around at the same time
Communion and passing the offering hat simultaneously
I reached for the hat and take all the cash
Taking cash from the offering hat and concealing it in a coat sleeve
And slide it into my ragged coat sleeve
Inserting the cash into a worn coat sleeve
And leave in its place a note to explain
Leaving a note explaining reasons for the theft
All of the reasons that stealing has led me to leave
Justifying the act of stealing and the decision to leave
If there was a worthy cause for to give to
Questioning if there is a deserving cause to contribute to
May I be so bold as to say
Expressing boldness in questioning the worthiness of a cause
The givers not knowing where their money's going
Criticizing the ignorance of donors about where their money goes
Is as sinful as throwing away
Comparing the ignorance to the sinfulness of wasteful actions
stained glasses shine on my red wine
Stained glasses shine on red wine, symbolizing religious and personal elements
And the sweat of my brow drips to my shaking knees
Sweat dripping to shaking knees as a small sacrifice for a journey
A small sacrifice to benefit one man's journey away from America's seas
Symbolizing sacrifice to benefit one person's journey away from America's seas
sweet sweet sigh of relief
Repetition of a sweet sigh of relief and reference to the Baltic Sea
Sweet sweet o Baltic sea
-Sweet sweet sigh of relief
-Sweet sweet o Baltic sea
-Sweet sweet sigh of relief
-Sweet sweet o Baltic sea
-Nobody here knows my name
Nobody knowing the narrator's name in a foreign place
Call it right or wrong
Ambiguity about the morality of the narrator's actions
I bought my ticket just the same
Purchasing a ticket despite uncertainties
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