Dust on the Altar - Lyrics

Dust on the Altar

[Intro]
Church bell rings in a dead-end town
Boots hit dirt where the sun goes down
Wind keeps whispering my father's name
And every old road still remembers my shame

[Verse 1]
I came back west with a guitar case
A little black dress and a sinner's face
There was blood-red dust on the county line
And a bottle full of ghosts in the passenger side

The motel sign was missing three lights
The bar still burned like a bad goodbye
Mama's porch had fallen through
But the church still stood like it always knew

[Pre-Chorus]
I left a prayer where the candles died
I left a tear where the angels cried
And I heard your voice through the broken door
Saying, girl, don't run no more

[Chorus]
There's dust on the altar
Smoke in the sky
A Bible wide open
Where the old dreams die

There's whiskey in the water
Fire in my name
I came back a stranger
But the town stayed the same

If heaven won't answer
And the devil won't call
I'll sing to the shadows
Till the last walls fall

There's dust on the altar
And ghosts in the hall
Dust on the altar
I came back for it all

[Verse 2]
Highway 17 took my innocence
Left me standing on the wrong side of the fence
He said forever with a silver ring
Then sold my heart for a song to sing

Now the boys stand back like loaded guns
Black shirts burning in the dying sun
They don't talk much, they don't need to
Every scar knows what we've been through

[Pre-Chorus 2]
I lit a match where the choir once stood
Watched the flame turn the bad into good
And I heard my name in the chapel floor
Saying, girl, don't beg no more

[Chorus]
There's dust on the altar
Smoke in the sky
A Bible wide open
Where the old dreams die

There's whiskey in the water
Fire in my name
I came back a stranger
But the town stayed the same

If heaven won't answer
And the devil won't call
I'll sing to the shadows
Till the last walls fall

There's dust on the altar
And ghosts in the hall
Dust on the altar
I came back for it all

[Bridge]
Bury me low where the black river bends
Where the road runs out and the truth begins
Tell every liar, tell every saint
I was born in fire, I was not born faint

Ring that bell for the ones who lied
Ring that bell for the love that died
Ring that bell till the whole town knows
Iron County don't bury ghosts

[Final Chorus]
There's dust on the altar
Smoke in the sky
A Bible wide open
Where the old dreams die

There's whiskey in the water
Fire in my name
I came back a stranger
But I don't feel the same

If heaven won't answer
And the devil won't call
I'll stand in the doorway
And outlive them all

There's dust on the altar
And ghosts in the hall
Dust on the altar
I came back for it all

[Outro]
Church bell fades in the evening light
Boots walk slow through the dust and night
No more running, no more shame
Iron County remembers my name