Anatomy of shame

Anatomy of shame
by Joel Howard

On the top, up above
Shame is smiling
Shame is fine
Shame won't move
Like the Mona Lisa
Pretty and still,
A masterpiece

Shake it up
Just a little
Shame freaks out 
Panics, scared
Face turns white
Coldness glistens
Heart so frozen
So alone

She will protect
What she is holding
Using anything
To keep it growing
To keep us imprisoned
To keep us dead
To keep us slaves
To maintain dread

Below the surface
Below the wall
There is sorrow
There is death
There is a past
Of sin and fear
Hurt and silence
There's a victim there

Running, isolated
And alone
Woe! The tears 
Watch them flow
Embarrassed
Mournful
again, alone
Cold as ever
Heart like stone

Oh to feel
Oh to sing
Oh to breathe
Oh to move
Sin's been dormant
Left untreated
"Never paid for"
As far as we know

Gospel not present
Hands in chains
This is the anatomy
Of shame
The Mona Lisa
Up above
But touch her once
And she's undone

Shame must be fed
Shame won't surrender
She requires all
All of our energy
Shame is a lifestyle
Shame is a sermon
But from the pulpit
Of damnation

Shame is shareable
Shame's unforgettable
But you don't want to look at her
You don't want to look 
Shame is fear
Shame is regret
Shame will hunt you
Lest you forget

What shame will never
Let you know
Is if light shines on her
She has to go
If she is spoken
If she's exposed
She'll run away naked
She has to go

When Jesus took her
Upon his cross
Her under foot
He paid the cost
It is finished 
was his cry
Shame was defeated
Death had to die
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