Joan Osborne - Chimes of Freedom Lyrics

Far between sundown's finish an' midnight's broken toll 
We ducked inside the doorway, thunder crashing 
As majestic bells of bolts struck shadows in the sounds 
Seeming to be the chimes of freedom flashing 
Flashing for the warriors whose strength is not to fight 
Flashing for the refugees on the unarmed road of flight 
An' for each an' ev'ry underdog soldier in the night 
An' we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing. 

In the city's melted furnace, unexpectedly we watched 
With faces hidden while the walls were tightening 
As the echo of the wedding bells before the blowin' rain 
Dissolved into the bells of the lightning 
Tolling for the rebel, tolling for the rake 
Tolling for the luckless, the abandoned an' forsaked 
Tolling for the outcast, burnin' constantly at stake 
An' we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing. 

Through the mad mystic hammering of the wild ripping hail 
The sky cracked its poems in naked wonder 
That the clinging of the church bells blew far into the breeze 
Leaving only bells of lightning and its thunder 
Striking for the gentle, striking for the kind 
Striking for the guardians and protectors of the mind 
An' the unpawned painter behind beyond his rightful time 
An' we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing. 

Through the wild cathedral evening the rain unraveled tales 
For the disrobed faceless forms of no position 
Tolling for the tongues with no place to bring their thoughts 
All down in taken-for-granted situations 
Tolling for the deaf an' blind, tolling for the mute 
Tolling for the mistreated, mateless mother, the mistitled prostitute 
For the misdemeanor outlaw, chased an' cheated by pursuit 
An' we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing. 

Even though a cloud's white curtain in a far-off corner flashed 
An' the hypnotic splattered mist was slowly lifting 
Electric light still struck like arrows, fired but for the ones 
Condemned to drift or else be kept from drifting 
Tolling for the searching ones, on their speechless, seeking trail 
For the lonesome-hearted lovers with too personal a tale 
An' for each unharmful, gentle soul misplaced inside a jail 
An' we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing. 

Starry-eyed an' laughing as I recall when we were caught 
Trapped by no track of hours for they hanged suspended 
As we listened one last time an' we watched with one last look 
Spellbound an' swallowed 'til the tolling ended 
Tolling for the aching ones whose wounds cannot be nursed 
For the countless confused, accused, misused, strung-out ones an' worse 
An' for every hung-up person in the whole wide universe 
An' we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing.