By the Book

from Missteps by Sam Cook-Stuntz

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lyrics

Eye for eye and limb for limb
A hand for what she took
Who is she to wash it clean
Or take a second look
You got people crunching numbers
Got to play by the book
She’s a leper, she’s a sinner, she’s a crook

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
Sing like a siren to bring her down
She once was lost, so you ran her aground
So it goes, so it always comes around
So it goes, so it always comes around

Lay your heart bare
See what they would find
Who among them would care
Your skeletons are guarded
God knows you’re well-regarded
And God forbid that they should stare

So trade in the bread
And the blood of the lamb
For a cold neon letter
A blood-scarlet stamp
Repentance duly noted
But it isn’t worth a damn
She’s a harlot, she’s a slut, she’s a tramp

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
Sing like a siren to bring her down
She once was lost, so you ran her aground
So it goes, so it always comes around
So it goes, so it always comes around

Eye for eye and limb for limb
A log for a speck
The greatest of these and all that he sees
To keep her in check
Son of God, did you die for our respect?
To save face or to save a wretch?

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from Missteps, released February 15, 2013

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Sam Cook-Stuntz Cambridge, Massachusetts

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