Church & State – English Lyrics

• By: Brandi Carlile
• Album: Returning To Myself

Lyrics & Translation

Brandi Carlile’s “Church & State” is a vital and immediate piece of songwriting, carrying the raw energy of a live declaration. Through its powerful lyrics that invoke historical figures like Thomas Jefferson, the song offers listeners a direct look into contemporary American anxieties and a hopeful plea for the future—making it a fantastic entry point to understand nuanced social commentary embedded in modern Americana rock.

[English]

While the empire was failing

I was so far from home

I heard a thousand sirens wailing

So I was never on my own

And when the blackness slowly parted

I saw the ivory towers

Before the revolution started

Between the madness of the hours

And they don't see

what we see

What we say

We believe

We believe

That they're not gonna live forever

Burn tomorrow, never say

They're here today, then they're gone forever

Never say, never say, never say

We'll find a way

We'll find a way

We'll find a way

imagine if we could

In the days that quickly followed

They began to turn to stone

They couldn't stand or speak or swallow

They couldn't get out of bed alone

And when the frailty overcomes them

And they begin to crawl

Reaching out their bloody hands

Guess who gets to make the call?

Well they don't see

what we see

What we say

But we believe

We believe

That they're not gonna live forever

Burn tomorrow, never say

They're here today, then they're gone forever

Never say, never say, never say

We'll find a way

We'll find a way

We'll find a way

imagine if we could

I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act

Of the whole American people, which declared that

Their legislature should make no law

Respecting an establishment of religion

Or prohibiting the free exercise thereof

Thus building a wall of separation

Between Church and State

No, they're not gonna live forever

Burn tomorrow, never say

They're here today, then they're gone forever

Never say, never say, never say

We'll find a way

We'll find a way

We'll find a way

imagine if we could

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
empire /ˈɛmpaɪər/ C1	noun - a large political unit or state, usually one that governs many different peoples and territories.
siren /ˈsaɪrən/ B2	noun - a loud warning sound.
revolution /ˌrɛvəˈluːʃən/ C1	noun - a forcible overthrow of a government or social order in favor of a new one.
burn /bɜːrn/ A2	verb - to be on fire; to destroy by fire.
stone /stoʊn/ A2	noun - a hard solid nonmetallic material of which rock is made.
frailty /ˈfreɪlti/ C1	noun - the quality of being weak in body or mind.
reverence /ˈrɛvərəns/ C2	noun - deep respect for someone or something.
sovereign /ˈsɒvrɪn/ C2	adjective - possessing supreme or ultimate power.
legislature /ˈlɛdʒɪsleɪtʃər/ C1	noun - a deliberative assembly with the power to pass laws.
establishment /ɪˈstæblɪʃmənt/ B2	noun - a social or political institution.
religion /rɪˈlɪdʒən/ B1	noun - the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods.
separation /ˌsɛpəˈreɪʃən/ B1	noun - the action or state of moving or being moved apart.
contemplate /kənˈtɛmplət/ C1	verb - look thoughtfully for a long time at.
declare /dɪˈkleər/ B1	verb - state or announce officially.
exercise /ˈɛksərsaɪz/ B1	noun - activity requiring physical effort, carried out especially to sustain or improve health and fitness. verb - use or apply.
building /ˈbɪldɪŋ/ A2	noun - a structure with a roof and walls.
way /weɪ/ A1	noun - a method or manner of doing something.

Key Grammar Structures

• While the empire was failing

  ➔ Past continuous (progressive) tense with 'while' clause

  ➔ The verb "was failing" shows an action that was in progress in the past.

• I heard a thousand sirens wailing

  ➔ Verb + object + present participle (gerund) as object complement

  ➔ "wailing" is a present participle that describes the sirens you heard.

• And when the blackness slowly parted

  ➔ Adverbial clause of time introduced by 'when' + simple past

  ➔ "when" introduces the moment when "the blackness" "slowly" "parted".

• They couldn't stand or speak or swallow

  ➔ Modal verb 'could' + negative + bare infinitive; coordination with 'or'

  ➔ "couldn't" is the negative past form of the modal "could" followed by the bare infinitives "stand", "speak", and "swallow".

• I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act which declared that Their legislature should make no law

  ➔ Complex sentence with relative clause "which declared" and noun clause "that Their legislature should make no law"

  ➔ "which declared" is a relative clause that modifies "that act"; the clause "that Their legislature should make no law" functions as a noun clause as the object of "declared".

• Respecting an establishment of religion

  ➔ Gerund phrase functioning as an adverbial modifier (participle clause)

  ➔ "Respecting" introduces a participle clause that shows the manner in which the previous action is done.

• Thus building a wall of separation

  ➔ Result clause with present participle "building" preceded by adverb "thus"

  ➔ "Thus" means "as a result", and "building" shows the action that results from the previous statement.

• Burn tomorrow, never say

  ➔ Imperative mood with two coordinated verbs; elliptical second clause

  ➔ "Burn" is a command directed at the listener; "never say" is another command, the subject "you" is omitted.