[Verse 1]
I been eating the fare of the wicked men
Under the guise of sophistication
It's poisoned my senses, and my sight needs correction
It's bad for my bowels and my general complexion

[Chorus]
It's been my staple for so many years
It's hard to taste the wine when you're drunk on the tears
It's hard to taste the wine when you're drunk on the tears

[Verse 2]
Hey, we got new ways to treat the soul that succumbs
Electroshock and Valium
The 20th century, you don't need salvation
We got chemists dedicated to your recreation

[Chorus]
It's been my staple for so many years
It's hard to taste the wine when you're drunk on the tears
It's hard to taste the wine when you're drunk on the tears

[Verse 3]
Nicole works the streets for twelve hours a day
She don't charge much for what she'll trade away
In a few short years, her business will fade
That's what happens with the tools of the trade
[Chorus]
It's been my staple for so many years
It's hard to taste the wine when you're drunk on the tears
It's hard to taste the wine when you're drunk on the tears

[Verse 4]
Jim and Tammy and Reverend Swaggart
They don't look like Jesus, and they're a whole lot fatter
Don't miss the truth for a stupid sideshow
Don't confuse the cup with the contents it holds

[Chorus]
It's been my staple for so many years
It's hard to taste the wine when you're drunk on the tears
It's hard to taste the wine when you're drunk on the tears

[Verse 5]
God, I need a drink, and I need one fast
Make it a strong one, one that'll last
Have You got anything that's been selling brisk
For a soul diagnosed at a terminal risk?

[Chorus]
Oh! It's been my staple for so many years
It's hard to taste the wine when you're drunk on the tears
It's hard to taste the wine when you're drunk on the tears
[Verse 6]
Jesus, lover of my soul
Let me to Thy bosom fly
I'm so weak, and I'm so cold
And the lambs in the West so speedily die
Alibis roll off my tongue
I'm looking for ruins to hide among
I got a soul piled high to excess
With the wonderfully useless and the frivolous
The praise due Your name evades my lips
There's no helping hand on my fingertips
I used to be someone, now I'm not worth a shit
I got a truckload of things I'm trying to forget
Since back in the garden on the first page
Something about the cradle to the grave
The promise is broken, more promises made
Oh, and the image I've so defaced
Played out on the pages of history
Dripping in blood that flows from a tree
Where the Father and Son part company
Come back together for you and me
I don't know why You did it, what was Your motivation?
Crucifixion's not a cool sensation
You had something to say, and You started to speak
The cross is the place for Your coronation speech
[Chorus]
It's been my staple for so many years
It's hard to taste the wine when you're drunk on the tears
It's hard to taste the wine when you're drunk on the tears
It's hard to taste the wine when you're drunk on the tears
Hard to taste the wine when you're drunk on the tears