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Lyrics

MARK BRINE vocals, acoustic guitar
GENE KENNEDY vocals
KATHLEEN HOGUE background vocals
WILLIAM ACKERMAN drums
DAVID OWENS bass guitar
JERRY SMITH piano
Recorded @ BRADLEY'S BARN & SOUND LAB STUDIOS · Nashville TN
WRITER: Mark Brine
PUBLISHER: ©Chip 'n Dale Music (ASCAP)
RELEASE DATE: 01/01/2005
ISRC CODE: ushm90502901

It was just another big city up ahead
To the travellin' preacher man
Alone, he drove, along the midday highway
In his loaded down, brand-new customized van

Convinced he'd be makin' his money's worth up the way
With his God-fearin', hell-fire sermons
Self-confident and casually and without a thought
He turned the local, gospel radio station on

With the sun blarin' down on the windshield
To the story-song of a down-troddened beggar
One of his speeches came to mind on the evil's of wealth
And all the money-hungry, greedy go-getters

So with his self-righteous tone, he began to recite it
Out loud as if he were standin' right up there on stage
Then, all of a sudden, the radio went blank
And he stopped cold, and watched it, completely amazed

For like a miracle from it very audibly came
"This is the voice of Jesus, your Lord
Preacher, I'll appear to you in the city up ahead
As reward for your spreadin' of my Word

I'll come to your room in the hotel and when I leave
My footprints will remain outside of your door
And after I'm gone, you'll cover them up with the truth
Of your work and what it was really all for "

By now, the preacher had stopped his van by the road
Completely baffled by the unexpected event
And as the gospel music returned to the station
He tried to analyze the puzzlin' message he'd been sent

Still a little uncertain but just proud to be of the chosen
He smiled and stepped on the gas
And sped down the highway with the zeal of a child
Till he reached the city's downtown at last

For several days, he tried to go about his business
While all the while he impatiently waited
But as the week rolled along with still-no-sign of God
He instead lost track of the visit he anticipated

Pictures of Jesus, phonograph albums
And books he had written flowed like wine
And, on the last night he was to stay there he returned to the hotel
With just his suitcase of money on his mind

When he reached his room safely, he bolted the door
And began counting the earnings he'd made
With the gospel music station playin' in the background
He totaled up the sums he'd been paid

Then he noticed that the song that was playin'
Behind him on the radio was that very same one
Yes, that same one about the beggar
That he'd heard on the highway when the Lord's voice to him had come

Then, his thought was immediately interrupted
By the startling knock on the room's front door
Was this gonna be the moment? Yes, it had to be the moment
The big moment he'd so waited for

Rushing to answer it he pulled open the door
To only find a shoe-less beggar in the most pitiful of clothes "Mr. Preacher, Mr. Preacherman, please could you help
I've no food or no home where I can go"

I listened to your sermon, I was there and I heard you
Sayin' how the poor should be helped and those so in need
Surely you must have some kind of assistance you could offer
I've not even shoes on my feet 'n they're starting to bleed

The preacher just collected himself and moved further back
But still in a position for blocking the door sayin'
"Brother you have to believe in the Lord Jesus, He Helps and He saves
If you just give what you can afford

Here, take my card, it has my post office box number
Just send what you can and when you can
And, I promise I'll pray for you, that's all I can do
Have faith for the Saviour's at hand"

Then, he closed the door and the thought crossed his mind
That maybe by staying the night he'd be thieved
For if one beggar could get past the front doorman then why couldn't others
It might be best if he'd pack and he'd leave

So he hurried and gathered his clothes and his suitcase
And filled his arms that he might make it all in one trip
For surely he couldn't leave the money in the room or in the van
While he went back and forth loading it

Strugglin' his way and reachin' the door he fought with it
Until it swung open just enough
But as it did the suitcase of money fell free from his grip
And out into the hall and openin' up

In fear that someone might see the scattered about money
He dropped everything else and in a flash was down on his knees
And dollar by dollar he slowly uncovered
The image that remained of two bare, human feet

With a centered hole in the middle of each one of them
Where the blood had seeped outward to the toe and to the heel
Then it struck him with a violent echo in his brain
The unexplainable part of the message had been revealed

"I'll come to your room in the hotel
And when I leave my footprints will remain outside of your door
And when I'm gone, you'll cover them up with the truth of your work
And what it was really all for"

Yes he realized that the beggar who had been there only moments before
Had really all the while been Jesus our Lord
And blinded by greed instead of tryin' to help him
Out of habit he had actually tried to sell the Lord to the Lord