The Confession Machine

The town was forgotten by God

Until one day a stranger came along

He had a troubled mind and troubled hands

He walked into the church and sat down in the confessional

And there, he found a miracle

For behind that wooden wall sat a brain

An artificial mind trained on every prayer

Every scripture and confession ever made

It spoke to him with infinite tenderness

It told him all his sins were forgiven

Well, the news spread through the town like wildfire

Soon sinners were queuing up at the church door

Lovers came to seek absolution

Evil men came to sleep without dreams

It was the greatest miracle they'd ever seen

Chorus

Forgive me, my love, I was weak, I was blind

Take my soul if that would satisfy your mind

Forgive me, my love, I was lost and afraid

But I'm sorry for the terrible price you paid

The confession machine never condemned anyone

Its mercy was limitless, its patience was infinite

And slowly something human began to disappear

But nobody noticed except for a few

Who found the whole thing terribly queer

Chorus

Forgive me, my love, I was weak, I was blind

Take my soul if that would satisfy your mind

Forgive me, my love, I was lost and afraid

But I'm sorry for the terrible price you paid

Well, I became fascinated by this artificial saint

So I went to the church and sat in the confessional

I told it every bad thing I'd ever done

And it asked me if there was anything else

I said, "No, not much"

It said, "There's always something else"

It told me I'd been forgiven again and again

And I began to wonder if it was all just a game

And then, out of curiosity, I asked it

"Is there a difference between being forgiven

And deserving forgiveness?"

And it said nothing at all