They closed the church on Church Street
The pastor moved away
He tried to draw the faithful
But had nothing left to say.
The couple that planned to marry
Went to the church down the highway.
They closed the church on Church Street
There was no one left to pray.
The mayor called a meeting
And he invited all the guests.
The congressman and senator
The banker and the press.
They all sent members of their staff
Who nodded at each request
They appointed a commission,
And then they smiled and pressed the flesh.
But Sunday morning comes and goes without a single prayer,
In my town does God even know that we are there?
They closed the church on Church Street
After the factory went down
No dollars for collections
No bride to wear her gown.
First they shuttered all the workers
And then they shuttered this whole town.
They closed the church on Church Street
And the winds the only sound.
Commentary
I wrote this song about two years ago. This was written very quickly over the course of a work day, in between meetings and tasks, as I had moments to think.
The idea came to me during a meeting with a person from NYC who gave me his card, his office was on Church Street. I thought to myself, "What's the name of that church on Church Street?" Then I thought about whether there is still a church on Church Street. I realized that there must be small towns all over New York State that have Church Streets without churches on them. Well, why is it called Church Street if there's no church?
Of the comments I've received for these lyrics, the one that has been the most satisfying was from a fellow who told me that he had gone back to his hometown after many years, and while he was there he had noticed that they closed the church on Church Street. My song brought that memory back to him.
