Still Waiting for the New Man

Still waiting for the new man
I built this one with my two hands
He's funded by the big brands
But he knows how to please his true fans
He's put together but he's starvin'
(We gotta get back to the garden)
New heart and mind and game plan
God grant it, God damn it, God save my man

Still working at the saved life
I watched my gramma spend her days and nights
In rare gratefulness and labor
To love the Lord and love her neighbor
Most of her life she went to sleep alone
When the phone rang for Walter, she'd say "He's not home"
New spirit every new day
Little by little I'm learning the old ways*

We will all be healed
O daughters of Zion
We will be washed clean
With a Spirit of judgment
And a Spirit of burning
Don't be afraid

I woke up this morning
I thought I felt a little warning
As usual I missed it
Though there've been mornings when I've kissed it
And seen the light
Shining on my lips like a secret
And felt the heat
Burning on my tongue like a red-hot coal

I'm still learning how to feel good
I like clean linens, I like wildwood
Soft chambray and cologne
The bite of tanqueray on tongue
I like the way you look in half-light
Half-dressed by the bed at midnight
I'm still waiting for the new man
But in the meantime come and hold my hand

We will both be healed
My lover, my witness
Love will wash us clean
With a spirit of judgment
And a spirit of burning
Small booth for shade
Don't be afraid