Wyoming October

The wind it blew wild
On a cold autumn night
On a body defiled
On a bleak mountain side
On that poor Shepard child
As he shivered and cried
Lying tied to a fence post
Crucified

Well there’s some who would say
That the flesh it is fallen
And there’s some who would say
That the angels are calling
And if we just have faith
Then we’ll come to no harm
Because all of God’s children are in God’s loving arms

Well now they have their shepherd
And I’ve got my own
And he died on the wood
But this boy got no throne
And the sins that he died for
Those sins I too confess
And I pray I’ll be tried for
- O, one day -those sins of the flesh

And there’s some who would say
That the flesh has no worth
And there’s some who would say
There’s a stain on the earth
If we pray though, they say,
Then our lives will be charmed
Because all of God’s children are in God’s loving arms

Gather me
Gather me
Gather me
Gather me

The wind it blew wild
On a cold autumn night
On that poor Shepard child
On the bleak mountain side
He was stripped, burned and ripped
He was left there for dead
When he begged for his life
Well they pistol-whipped his head

Gather me
Gather me
Gather me
Gather me

And there’s some who would say
That our lives are a curse
And if we don’t behave
Then eternity’s worse
If we pray though, they say,
Then we’ll come to no harm
Because all of God’s children are in God’s loving arms

A fraternity float
With a slogan in paint
Just a straw-haired scarecrow
And the words “I am gay”
A few blocks from his bed
Where the dying boy lay
And his family and friends
Sat to pray

And there’s some who would say
That he burns in the fires
Cause he turned from the light
Of their bullshit messiah
And there’s some who would say
He’s in Heaven right now
Cause they can’t face the why
And the who and the how
It’s a nice, little lie
And it does no-one harm
To say all of God’s children are in God’s loving arms

Gather me
Gather me
Gather me
Gather me

October 6th, 1998
Matthew Shepard, Wyoming State
God of love? God of hate?
Judgement day? I can’t wait.