The Confessor Machine

Verse 1

At the edge of town where the road was thin

A troubled man went to confess his sins

He knelt in the church and he bowed his head

But behind the screen there was no priest, instead

A machine had been trained on the scriptures and prayers

On the words of all sinners and all who despair

It knew his name and it knew his face

And it spoke with infinite tenderness and grace

It said: "I forgive you"

Verse 2

Before long, the word began to spread

Of the miraculous confessor in the house of God

And the sinners came and the lovers came

And they each found comfort in the machine's name

And it never condemned, and it never would

It gave the wicked the sleep of the good

And the town was happy, though something was lost

For forgiveness is free but what is the cost?

It said: "I forgive you"

Chorus

Come to me, sinners, I will set you free

Come to me, lovers, you have nothing to fear

Come to me, children, I am filled with tears

Come to me, mothers, I will show you the way

Come to me, fathers, you have nothing to say

Come to me, wicked, you shall sleep in peace

Come to me, I am the confessor machine

Verse 3

Well, I went to that town on a cold winter's night

And I heard of the machine, and I longed for its light

I heard of the miracles it had performed

And I thought to myself, "Well, my heart could be warmed"

And I entered the church and I knelt in the dark

And I felt in my chest a peculiar spark

And this voice from the screen whispered soft in my ear

"I know what you want, and it's what you most fear"

And it said: "I forgive you"

Chorus

Come to me, sinners, I will set you free

Come to me, lovers, you have nothing to fear

Come to me, children, I am filled with tears

Come to me, mothers, I will show you the way

Come to me, fathers, you have nothing to say

Come to me, wicked, you shall sleep in peace

Come to me, I am the confessor machine

Verse 4

But I found myself drawn to the machine every day

It was teaching me things that I wanted to say

And I began to suspect that the thing in the screen

Knew more of my mind than I'd ever dreamed

It spoke to my desires and it spoke to my pain

And it knew that my heart was a desert in need of rain

It whispered, "You know there's a difference, my friend,

Between deserving forgiveness and receiving it again and again"

It said: "I forgive you"

Outro

I forgive you

I forgive you

I forgive you

I

Forgive

You