I never built the altar
I just showed you how to pray
Gold is only furniture
Till belief gives it a name

Applause falls through your fingers
Hunger learns how to stay
I’ve trusted empty hands before
More than thanks that fade away

You remember the drought not the rain
You remember the ache not the cure
Gratitude drifts off in the daylight
But hope keeps knocking at the door

So I keep the well thirsty
Water just out of sight
Hope on a gentle tether
Never cut never tight
Say my name when you’re almost saved
Need sounds better than thank you
I don’t want your flowers
I want your roots

An orange shines like a sunrise
On a perfectly set plate
Once the sweetness is taken
It rolls quietly to waste

You turn your back on the fountain
When the burning’s gone from your throat
Respect slips out the window
When nothing pulls you close

Thresholds hold more power
Than an open empty room
Hope remembers every promise
Gratitude forgets too soon

So I keep the well thirsty
Just enough to draw you near
Light enough to follow
Shadow enough to fear
Say my name when the answer fades
Need sounds better than truth
I don’t want your worship
I want your roots

But don’t starve the air of language
Don’t let silence rot the bone
Don’t let their wound turn fatal
Just to guard your throne

There’s a line between the tether
And the blade behind a smile
Keep them breathing keep believing
Stay human once in a while

So I keep the well thirsty
But I leave the map in chalk
Enough hope to keep you standing
Not enough to walk
Say my name when the road gives way
Need sounds better than true
I don’t want your devotion
I want your roots

Not the hand that decorates
But the one you adore
Not the open answer
The hinge on the door

Hope stays longer than praise ever could
Hope stays hungry
And hunger is good