Wishing I Could Help
One night I started listening to this Christian call in show
And I heard these throwback pilgrims talking on the radio
Like one would call about some verses in the Book of Ruth
And the preacher would sincerely try and cipher out the truth
And it went on like this about a half an hour or so
And then this woman with different kind of problem said "hello"
She said she read her bible several hours every day
But that she still felt guilty when she had to put the book away
And then, as if she had no choice, she bared part of her soul
She said she was in her fifties and she had no friends at all
And she said it so matter of fact her words just cut me open
And my heart flew right out of my body hoping I could help her
And my heart flew right out my body wishing I could help
She said that most of her life was a detour that she took
Until she could get back into the steady comfort of the book
She sounded pretty casual but as she spoke I heard
The purest overtone of sorrow underscore her words
And right away this preacher guessed that he had best beware
That if he’d let her she’d inhale most of his broadcast air
The show had to keep moving and the seasoned preacher knew
There were other callers on hold waiting for their answers too
And so after ‘bout a minute he just cut her off and said
“Thanks for sharing, here’s our next call” and he let her line drop dead
And I felt like I’d been witnessing a drowning soul’s last wave
And my heart flew right out of my body wishing I could save her
And my heart flew right out of my body wishing I could help
And later on I wondered how some lives could be so hard
Was it God or just bad luck that dealt some people losing cards
And then I made my mind up to believe the bitter truth is
That it is God who deals out these unfair aces and these deuces
But that like my cat will never understand the hidden power
That’s wound into the mainspring of a pocket watch’s hour
Even if we stare forever at the spinning gears and jewels
We will never comprehend the universe and only fools
Try to explain who’s doing all the winding up -- and all the winding down
And then I had a revelation -- that it was God’s voice
Embedded in that woman’s call and that I had no choice
But to believe that late one night her lonely breath had blown
My paper soul into a higher sky than it had ever flown before
And all the time now
My heart flies right out of my body wishing I could help
Oh, all the time now
My heart flies right out of my body wishing I could help