Mohawks on the Scaffold

by Andrew Peterson

Everybody’s gotta have a building program
Stacking that money up, brick on brick.
Oh, we’ve got to have praise team worship
14 services take your pick.

Everybody’s gotta have special music.
We don’t want dead air when the plate goes by.
Oh, it’s got to be a 3 point sermon
With a poem and a pun to break the ice.

Oh, the organ hit the D chord,
Its time to sing the doxology.
Stand up, praise the good Lord,
Please define “doxology”.

So now we take communion,
But first a word to prepare our heads.
Joe gets up and talks politics,
He says a prayer and we break the bread.

We take the cup and we quench our thirst,
Dismiss the children for children’s church,
Stand and greet your neighbor first,
Well every aspect is well rehearsed.

Like Mohawks on the scaffold, heedless of the danger,
Don't look down at the city, brother it's a long way to fall.
Like Mohawks on the scaffold, strolling on the I-beams,
Hallelujah, praise the Lord, He's our buddy after all.

Oh, brother don’t get upset,
You see I’ve got my perfect attendance badge,
Sunday school and VBS,
I even pledged allegiance to the Christian flag.
(Which I have not to this day found anywhere in the Bible)

Oh, 4 years of Bible college.
Well I tucked my shirt and cut my hair,
No sister don’t get me wrong,
I learned a lot about Jesus there.

I went to class and I wore a tie.
I learned about who’s wrong and why.
Point the finger at the other guy
With the clearly flawed theologi.

Like Mohawks on the scaffold, heedless of the danger,
Don't look down at the city, brother it's a long way to fall.
Like Mohawks on the scaffold, strolling on the I-beams,
Hallelujah, Praise the Lord, He's a puzzle that I've solved.

Yeah well I hope you’re pickin up my sarcasm
Cuz I’m layin’ it on pretty thick.
It’s a useful tool of communication
Even God himself as employed that trick.
So, if you’ll turn with me in your Bibles
To the book of Job, chapter 38,
It’ll remind us who we’re dealing with.
I hope you don’t mind if I paraphrase.

Sometimes it’s like we’re sleeping on an airbus,
Like we’re taking home a little bear cub,
Like hiking mount Vesuvius,
It’s like we’re cooking s’mores in the burning bush.

Like Mohawks on the scaffold, heedless of the danger,
Don't look down at the city, brother it's a long way to fall.
Like Mohawks on the scaffold, strolling on the I-beams,
Hallelujah, Praise the Lord, He's so patient,
He’s so patient with us all.