I remember daddy held the Bible like a gun
Back when I was a Pentecostal gospel preacher's son
And I still can see the fire and brimstone in his eyes
When he preached to people in a tent, repent before you die
Me I'd sneak out back with some saintly, southern girl
And there I'd teach her the ways of this world

Well, I guess I was way too wild to be the child of a preacher man
One foot on a solid rock and one on the sinking sand
Just like the prodigal son, I guess, I got way too lost
Living somewhere in between the devil and the cross

I was daddy's worst nightmare by the time I turned eighteen
Baptized in a whiskey river on the streets of New Orleans
Where the demons, drugs and rock and roll, they seemed to clog my mind
And women were a weakness for weeks at a time
I learned the hard way, what you reap is what you sew
So in silent desperation, one night I headed home

Well, I guess I was way too wild to be the child of a preacher man
One foot on a solid rock with one on the sinking sand
Just like the prodigal son, I guess, I got way too lost
Living somewhere in between the devil and the cross

Daddy, did more than talk the talk, he walked the walk in life
He loved me and forgave me when I came home that night
He said, "Son, don't ever be ashamed for God forgives the lost.
We all live somewhere in between the devil and the cross."

Lord, I guess I was way too wild to be the child of a preacher man
One foot on a solid rock and one on that sinking sand
Just like the prodigal son, I guess, I got way too lost
Living somewhere in between the devil and the cross