Lauryn Hill › Lyrics › Oh Jerusalem

Oh, Jerusalem yeah
Oh, Jerusalem
Oh, Jerusalem
Oh, Jerusalem

Realizing that there's no place else to go
And there's nobody I know who can help me
Text book solutions are so improbable
'Cuz everybody else is just as empty

Naked as the day that I was born, I tried to hide
Behind education and philosophy
Hopeless explanation to describe a situation
I can't see because the world's on top of me

Oh, wretched man that I am, who will deliver me
From the body of this death?
Freeing me from dust, and the superficial trust
Of an enemy that seeks to take my breath

Failing to connect, 'cuz I'm morally defective
By reason of the God inside my head
Causing me to see, only what pertains to me
Believing I'm alive when I'm still dead

Limited to Earth, unable to find out my worth
'Cuz I can't see past my own vanity
If I'm not included, then I just have to remove it
From my mind because it has to be insanity

Oh, wretched man that I am, who will deliver me
From the body of this death?
Can I even factor, that I've only been an actor
In this staged interpretation of this day

Focused on the shadow
With my back turned to the light
Too intelligent to see it's me in the way
What a paradox, having God trapped in a box

All this time professing to be spiritual
Naturally pretending
That I'm actually defending
God through my facade, only material

Oh, Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness
That thou mayest be saved from thy deception
How long, shall thy face those lies within thee
Oh, Jerusalem, keeping thee from perfection

Submit to truth, leave the deception of thy youth
So we can walk in the council of authority
Forget the proof, a generation so aloof
Only follow in the steps of the majority

Trust in the Lord, with all thy heart
And lay not to thine own understanding in all thy ways
Acknowledge Him, and He shall direct our paths
Be not wise in thine own eyes that you can’t follow Him

We judge and condemn, just as ignorant as them
Who religion tells us that we should ignore
Perpetrating we're in covenant with Him
Exposed by the very things that we adore

We grin and shake hands, then lay ambush for the man
Who has a different point of view than us
Infuriated 'cuz he doesn't understand
Bringing up those things we don't want to discuss

Wise who do evil, we don't know how to do good
Walking on in darkness running from the light, ey
Led to believe, because we live in neighborhoods
Telling us what's going on will be alright

Oh, so repressed, so convinced that I was blessed
When I played with my game of Monopoly
Oh, to suggest, that my life is still a mess
Who reveal the pride I'm hiding is what's stopping me

Oh, Jerusalem, wash thy heart from wickedness
That thou mayest be saved from thy deception
How long, shall thy face those lies within thee
Oh, Jerusalem, keeping them from perfection

Abide in me and I in You, as the branch cannot bare
Fruit of itself except in the vine
I am the vine, ye are the branches, He that live in me
And I in him, the same bring forth much fruit

But without me, you can do nothing
Oh, Jerusalem, your traditions have deceived you
I've chosen you, you haven't chosen me
And whatsoever, you ask in my name He may give to you

But in vain they call my name, teaching doctrines just the same
Justified among themselves
But God knoweth the heart, what man esteems as smart
Is an abomination to Emmanuel

Just repent, turn from selfish motivation
So iniquity will not cause your demise
Make you a new heart and a new spirit for why would He die
Oh Jerusalem, please tell me why

I have no pleasure in the death of Him to die
Says the Lord God where forth turn yourselves and live
It's not the talkers, but the walkers in His word
Are the only ones the Father will forgive

Oh, Jerusalem, wash thy heart from wickedness
That thou mayest be saved from thy deception
How long, shall thy face those lies within thee
Oh, Jerusalem, providing you no protection
Oh, Jerusalem, oh, Jerusalem