Lyrics
Verse 1
I traded gold for shifting sand
I walked away from father's land
The coat of colors now is torn
I curse the day that I was born
The world I chased has left me cold
A story bought, a spirit sold
I'm eating dust where shadows lie
Beneath this empty, foreign sky
The hunger wakes me from my sleep
Is there a promise you still keep?
Chorus
Lord, are the gates still open
For a heart so broken
I am running home
No more to roam
I see your arms stretched out to me
Across the calm and raging sea
If you can love a wretch like this
Then seal my pardon with a key
Verse 2
I thought I'd walk the path alone
And beg a servant's bread and stone
But you were watching from the hill
Your love was standing, waiting still
You didn't wait for me to speak
You saw the tears upon my cheek
You ran to meet me on the way
And turned my midnight into day
Chorus
Lord, are the gates still open
For a heart so broken
I am running home
No more to roam
I see your arms stretched out to me
Across the calm and raging sea
If you can love a wretch like this
Then seal my pardon with a key
Bridge
Put the ring upon my hand
Bring the robe and heal the land
I was dead but now I breathe
Because of you I believe
Outro
Lord, are the gates still open
For a heart so broken
I am running home
I see your arms stretched out to me
The road ends here
I am... home
Home
Credits & Song Information
Video
Meaning & Inspiration
“Lord, Are the Gates Still Open” by Gravel & Grace, featuring Arthur Hayes, retells the story of the prodigal son in the first person. The singer traded gold for shifting sand, left the father’s land, and ended up eating dust under an empty, foreign sky, with hunger waking the singer to think of home. The account follows Luke 15:11-20.
The chorus is the question of the title: are the gates still open for a heart so broken? The singer is running home and sees arms stretched out in welcome. In the second verse the father was watching from the hill, did not wait for the singer to speak, and ran to meet the returning son, which matches Luke 15:20.
The bridge asks for the ring and the robe, which are the gifts of the father in the parable, and says “I was dead but now I breathe,” close to Luke 15:24. The song ends with arrival at home. The message is that no one has gone too far for the Lord’s welcome.
Related Scripture
- Luke 15:20-24 The father runs to welcome the returning son
- Psalm 103:8 The Lord is merciful and gracious
- Ephesians 2:4-5 Made alive by God’s mercy