I went to see the preacher to teach me how to pray
He looked at me and smiled then that preacher turned away
He said "Son, if you want to tell him something
You ain't gotta fold your hands
Say it with your heart your soul and believe it, and I'll say
amen"
Bang a drum for the sinners, bang a drum for the sins
Bang a drum for the losers and those who win
Bang a drum, bang it loudly or as soft as you need
Bang a drum for yourself son and a drum for me
Oh-oh- oh-oh-oh oh oh let me hear you say:
Yeah, yeah Hallelujah amen

I called upon my brother just the other day,
He said: "Jon, I'm gonna die if I don't start to live again
I work each day and night like clockwork just trying to make ends meet
I could kick this bad world's ass if I could just get on my feet"
I'd bang a drum for the dying, bang a drum for the truth
Bang a drum for the innocence lost in our youth
Bang a drum bang it loudly or as soft as you need
Bang a drum for you brother and a drum for me
I don't know where all the rivers run
I don't know how far, I don't know how come
But I'm gonna die believin' each step that I take
Ain't worth the ground that I walk on
If we don't walk it our own way

No I don't claim to be a wise man a poet or a saint
I'm just another man who's searching for a better way
But my heart beats loud as thunder for the things that I
believe
Sometimes I wanna run for cover, sometimes I want to scream
Bang a drum for tomorrow, bang a drum for the past
Bang a drum for the heros that won't come back
Bang a drum for the promise, bang a drum for the lies
Bang a drum for the lovers and the tears they've cried
Bang a drum, bang it loudly or as soft as you need
But as long as my heart keeps on bangin'
I got a reason to believe
Yeah yeah oh yeah oh let me hear you say:
Yeah, yeah Hallelujah amen
Yeah yeah oh yeah oh let me hear you say:
Yeah, yeah Hallelujah amen