Hymn #101 – The Ballroom Thieves (originally by Joe Pug)

Yeah I’ve come to know the wishlist of my father
I’ve come to know the shipwrecks where he wished
I’ve come to wish aloud
Among the over-dressed crowd
Come to witness now the sinkin of the ship
Throwin pennies from the sea top next to it

And I’ve come to roam the forest past the village
With a dozen lazy horses and my cart
I’ve come here to get high
To do more than just get by
I’ve come to test the timbre of my heart
Yeah, I’ve come to test the timber of my heart

And I’ve come to be untroubled in my seeking
And I’ve come to see that nothing is for naught
I’ve come to reach out blind
To reach forward and behind
For the more I seek, the more I’m sought
Yes, the more I seek, the more I’m sought

And I’ve come to meet the sheriff and his posse
To offer him the broadside of my jaw
I’ve come here to get broke
And then maybe bum a smoke
We’ll go drinkin two towns over after all
Oh, we’ll go drinkin two towns over after all

And I’ve come to meet the legendary takers
I’ve only come to ask them for a lot
Oh, they say I come with less
Than I should rightfully possess
I say the more I buy, the more I’m bought
And the more I’m bought the less I cost

And I’ve come to take their servants and their surplus
And I’ve come to take their raincoats and their speed
I’ve come to get my fill
To ransack and spill
I’ve come to trade the harvest for the seed
Yeah, I’ve come to trade the harvest for the seed

And I’ve come to know the manger that you sleep in
I’ve come to be the stranger that you keep
I’ve come from down the road
And my footsteps never slowed
Before we met, I knew we’d meet
Yes, before we met, I knew we’d meet

And I’ve come here to ignore your cries and heartaches
And I’ve come to closely listen to you sing
I’ve come here to insist
That I leave here with a kiss
I’ve come to say exactly what I mean
And I mean so many things

And you’ve come to know me stubborn as a butcher
And you’ve come to know me thankless as a guest
So will you recognize my face
When God’s awful grace
It strips me of my jacket and my vest
And reveals all the treasure in my chest