The Shadow of the Cross by Joel Brogon

Said I was a sinner / The moment I was born
A wretch in need of God’s amazing grace
Helpless little baby / Somehow burdened down
With all the guilt of the human race

I knelt at the altar / Prayed that I’d be saved
From Satan and his fiery pits of Hell
Gave my heart to Jesus / Said I’d live for Him
While Mama cried and sang “It is Well”

When you’re brought up / In the shadow of the cross
In a little country church / You don’t question what you’re taught
You sit there in the pews / And do what they tell you to
With the shadow of the cross / Looming over you

Once there was this preacher / Known for miles around
Who came to hold revival in our town
Knew he saw right through me / When he looked in my eyes
Said I had the Devil in my mind

Threw me on that altar / To pray away the gay
To cast out all those demons deep inside
Held me there for hours / ‘Til I finally lied
Said I’d been delivered from my ways

When you’re brought up / In the shadow of the cross
In a little country church / You lose battles that are fought
You know you’ve gotta do / What the elders tell you to
With the shadow of the cross / Looming over you

As I got older / Sought answers of my own
Found out things I wish I’d always known
Right wing Fundamentalists / Don’t have the final say
Turns out Jesus loves me anyway

When you’re brought up / In the shadow of the cross
In a little country church / You should question what you’re taught
Seek out your own answers / Live out your own truth
With the shadow of the cross / Watching over you

With the shadow of the cross / Watching over you

“The Shadow of the Cross” is my story of coming of age in a deeply conservative rural church while quietly carrying truths I knew would always stand in tension with its strict doctrine and tightly held traditions.