Unforgivable Sin

Sarah's packin' up the Honda, it's a 2003;

the kids are in the back seat, they're watchin' TV

on a phone that's almost dead, the bill is overdue.

She's tellin' them it's "camping," but they're old enough to know the truth.

The eviction notice came and went, the marshall knocked today;

her two jobs weren't enough, there was no other way.

She's parkin' in the Walmart lot, between a truck and RV

and hopin' that the cops don't come and ask for her ID.

Oh, the stars are cold and bright in this land of golden light,

and the cathedral bell is ringin' but the doors are locked up tight.

They say that God is watchin' but he must have turned away,

'cause in a land of plenty the only sin is need, today.

She's tryin' to find a shelter, but the shelters are all full

of other families just like hers, who lost the toxic pull

of a paycheck-to-paycheck life, one sickness from the end.

One broken bone, one busted car, one "no" from just one friend.

She's got a college education, she's got a resume,

but the algorithm passed her over for a lower, younger pay.

And the billionaires are buildin' "homes" that no one lives inside

while Sarah's kids are askin' "Mom, where are we gonna hide?".

Oh, the stars are cold and bright in this land of golden light,

and the cathedral bell is ringin' but the doors are locked up tight.

They say that God is watchin' but he must have turned away,

'cause in a land of plenty the only sin is need, today.

The land of the free, the home of the brave,

the nation that lets you sleep in your grave

that you dug yourself with your own two hands

in the richest, cruelest, promised land.

Oh, the stars are cold and bright in this land of golden light,

and the cathedral bell is ringin' but the doors are locked up tight.

They say that God is watchin' but he must have turned away,

'cause in a land of plenty the only sin is need, today.