Mistrial By Fire

[Verse 1] In Salem, winter bit the wells The meeting house held its breath A girl named Mercy twisted hard Till names fell out like teeth A neighbor's herb, a slit of smoke A pinprick, then a scream The magistrate kept noting down What fear could make it mean [Verse 2] Spectral hands on paper wrists A Bible pressed like proof Confessions bought with sleepless nights And promises of truth The accused stood tied to wooden posts While righteous mouths ran thin A widow, a midwife, one old man All caught in someone else's sin [Pre-Chorus] They wanted land, they wanted rank They wanted debts erased So rumor wore a judge's coat And hate sat in its place [Chorus] Mistrial by fire Names turned to ash Mistrial by fire The record learned to lash Mistrial by fire Time keeps the scar Mistrial by fire Look what the frightened are [Verse 3] They pressed for charm, for sign, for mark For devils in the jaw A child could point, a clerk would nod And turn that nod to law When mercy came, it came too late With iron in the rain The ones who lost their quiet wars Made punishment their gain [Bridge] Centuries later, same old trick A crowd, a grave, a crowd A lie grows fat on borrowed blame Then calls itself aloud The clock does not forget the rope Or how the ledger lied It ticks through every verdict kept And every mercy dried [Chorus] Mistrial by fire Names turned to ash Mistrial by fire The record learned to lash Mistrial by fire Time keeps the scar Mistrial by fire Look what the frightened are