A good half-inch of dust had built up on the pews There were pieces missing from the stained glass dove There was a broken lock on one of the basement doors You could open if you pushed it hard enough It was wintertime The streets were cold as hell They laid their sleeping bags Along the altar rail It was holy ground It was holy ground It was holy ground As the word got out the sanctuary filled With folks who had no other place to call their home At night they'd share a meal and pass a bottle around Something they were all accustomed to alone The piano's out of tune Some keys don't even work But one guy could play a song Out of the hymnal book It was holy ground It was holy ground It was holy ground The local priest soon got word Of the vagrants in the empty church He was told to go to the house of God And clear them out because after all It was holy ground He was met at the door by a man with open arms Saying "welcome to the one place we belong" He saw the shiny floors beneath the sleeping bags He could hear the sound of laughter down the hall Later on that night As they broke the bread He asked them if there's room For an extra bed