Appears on: She Must and Shall Go Free

Lyrics:

I have come with one purpose
To capture for Myself a bride
By My life she is lovely
And by My death she’s justified

I have always been her husband
Though many lovers she has known
So with water I will wash her
And by My word alone

So when you hear the sound of the water
You will know you’re not alone

[Chorus]
‘Cause I haven’t come for only you
But for My people to pursue
And you cannot care for Me with no regard for her
If you love Me you will love the church

I have long pursued her
As a harlot and a whore
But she will feast upon Me
She will drink and thirst no more

So when you taste My flesh and My blood
You will know you’re not alone

[Chorus]

There is none that can replace her
There are many who will try
And though some may be her Bridesmaids
They can never be My bride

[Chorus]

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Purchase: iTunes Store

Words and Music: Derek Webb
©2002 Niphon, Inc. (Admin by Music Services). All rights reserved. Used by permission. ASCAP

Additional Musicians:

• Matt Stanfield: Piano
• Derek Webb: High-strung acoustic guitar
• Sara Groves: Vocals
• John Catchings: Cello
• Kenny Meeks: National guitar

Derek on the song:

This is one of the last songs I wrote for the record…the reason I wrote it was because people were coming up to me (after shows) and saying, “Yeah, I’m right with you man…this whole church thing’s (not for me). I can’t stand the church…”, And I hated that. I hated the idea that people who seek to church bash would see me as their champion. Because I am not that. The reason that I have, after all these years, decided to put my energy into a solo project…is because of my love for the church. There’s none that can replace her. There’s none that can do the job of the church…so I wrote this song to hopefully communicate that.
—Derek Webb, 10/4/02

Elsewhere: MusicBrainz