Sifa Lyrics

Three Wooden Crosses by The Booth Brothers cover art

The Booth Brothers - Three Wooden Crosses Lyrics

Artist:
The Booth Brothers

Lyrics

Verse 1


A farmer and a teacher, a hooker and a preacher,
Ridin' on a midnight bus bound for Mexico.
One's headed for vacation, one for higher education,
An' two of them were searchin' for lost souls.
That driver never ever saw the stop sign.
An' eighteen wheelers can't stop on a dime.


Chorus


There are three wooden crosses on the right side of the highway,
Why there's not four of them, Heaven only knows.
I guess it's not what you take when you leave this world behind you,
It's what you leave behind you when you go.


Verse 2


That farmer left a harvest, a home and eighty acres,
The faith an' love for growin' things in his young son's heart.
An' that teacher left her wisdom in the minds of lots of children:
Did her best to give 'em all a better start.
An' that preacher whispered: "Can't you see the Promised Land?"
As he laid his blood-stained bible in that hooker's hand.


Chorus


There are three wooden crosses on the right side of the highway,
Why there's not four of them, Heaven only knows.
I guess it's not what you take when you leave this world behind you,
It's what you leave behind you when you go.


Verse 3


That's the story that our preacher told last Sunday.
As he held that blood-stained bible up,
For all of us to see.
He said: "Bless the farmer, and the teacher, an' the preacher;
"Who gave this Bible to my mamma,
"Who read it to me."


Chorus


There are three wooden crosses on the right side of the highway,
Why there's not four of them, now I guess we know.
It's not what you take when you leave this world behind you,
It's what you leave behind you when you go.


Outro


There are three wooden crosses on the right side of the highway.


Video

Meaning & Inspiration

Three Wooden Crosses tells a story of travelers on a night bus and what each leaves behind. A farmer, a teacher, a preacher and a woman in need ride a midnight bus bound for Mexico, and an eighteen-wheeler cannot stop. The chorus notes three wooden crosses on the highway and says it is not what a person takes when leaving this world but what is left behind.

The second verse describes a harvest and faith left with a young son, wisdom left in the minds of children, and a preacher who whispers about the Promised Land and leaves a blood-stained Bible in a woman's hand. Later the narrator hears a preacher share how that Bible was given to his mother and read to him. The song's theme of legacy and the power of the Word fits Psalm 90:12, Matthew 6:19-21, Isaiah 55:11, 2 Timothy 1:5 and Proverbs 22:6. It is a narrative ballad whose lasting image is the Bible passed on.

Related Scripture

  • Matthew 6:19-21 Jesus teaches storing up treasure in heaven rather than on earth.
  • Isaiah 55:11 God's word will not return empty but accomplishes what He purposes.
  • 2 Timothy 1:5 Paul recalls the sincere faith that lived first in Timothy's grandmother and mother.