Iron & Wine – Muddy Hymnal

found your name across the chapel door

carved in cursive with a table fork

muddy hymnals

and some bootmarks where you’d been

the shaking preacher told the captain’s man

the righteous suffer in a fallen land

and pulled the shade

to keep the crowd from peeking in

we found your children by the tavern door

with wooden buttons and an apple core

playing house

and telling everyone you’d drowned

the begging choir told the captain’s man

we all assume the worst the best we can

and for a round or two

they’d gladly track you down

we found you sleeping by your lover’s stone

a ream of paper and a telephone

a broken bow

across a long lost violin

your lover’s angel told the captain’s man

it never ends the way we had it planned

and kissed her palm

and placed it on your dreaming head