On tomorrow's painted wagon, in a yester-dreamin' day I rode to heaven never thinkin' I'd be back this way Now I'm standin' at your doorstep with my halo turnin' grey Open up your gate, Marianna CHORUS: Lay me down in the dark womb of your love Mother I sought the chosen people, but I found no one to comfort me Lay me down in the dark womb of your love Mother I climbed the highest steeple, I found nothin' to believe When they called my faults against the wall I took my place in line And put my trust in priestly men to break the ties that bind But their straight and narrow highway's just a row of billboard signs Open up your gate, Marianna CHORUS So I set my feet to walkin' from the sidewalk to the sand In search of any saint or sage who knew the master plan Yeah, I wandered every backroad in that broken promise land Open up your gate, Marianna CHOURS As lightnin' burns these bridges under, smoke will surely rise And the fables of my innocence blow lazy through the skies When timeless truths reveal themselves as little more than lies Open up your gate, Marianna CHORUS Sticks and stones might break this body and words might wound my soul And phantom visions fly me where the faithful fear to go But when this story's over and my sun is sinkin' low Open up your gate, marianna CHOURS Mother I climbed the holy mountain, I found nothin' to believe