Little Tin God

(album: The End Of The Innocence - 1989)

"A new age is dawning
On fewer than expected
Business as Usual"
That's how the headline read
Some shaky modern saviors
Have now been resurrected
In all this excitement
You may have been misled

People want a miracle
They say "Oh Lord, can't you see us?
We're trying to make a living down here
And keep the children fed"
But, from little dark motel rooms
To "Six Flags over Jesus"
"How are the mighty fallen"
So the Bible said

You don't have to pray to a little tin god
Step out of the way for a little tin god
You might fear the reaper, fear the rod
But you never have to get down on your knees
You don't have to holler, "please, please"
No, you never have to get down on your knees
For a little tin god

The cowboy's name was "Jingo"
And he heard that there was trouble
So in a blaze of glory
He rode out of the west
No one was ever certain
What it was that he was saying
But they loved it when he told them
They were better than the rest

But you don't have to pray to a little tin god
Step out of the way for a little tin god
You might hate the system, hate the job
But you never have to get down on your knees
You don't have to holler, "please, please"
No, you never have to get down on your knees
For a little tin god

Throw down a rope from heaven
And lead the flock to water
The man in the middle would have you think
That you have no other choice
But to wander in the wilderness
Of all the upturned faces
If you stop and listen long enough
You will hear your own small voice

But you don't have to pray to a little tin god
Step out of the way for a little tin god
You might fear the reaper, fear the rod
But you never have to get down on your knees
You don't have to holler, "please, please"
No, you never have to get down on your knees
Never have to holler, "please, please"
You never have to get down on your knees
You never have to holler, "please, please"
You never have to get down on your knees
For a little tin god