Jon Watts | Friend Speaks My Mind | Lyrics

I found Quakers when I was just a kid
and now I’m studying them
I hope you know how that is
I’ve got George Fox on my right, James Nayler’s on my left
and Margaret Fell is holding us together
give her some respect

It’s that first generation we look back to
to find out what being a Friend means through and through
I don’t fully understand it
I don’t know if I can
but I understand enough to know that I am a fan

I'm like, damn, I didn’t think that I would do this anymore
I got bored
listening to lectures felt like a chore
But now I’m begging Max Carter just to tell me some more
Oh lord

So when I heard this Christian stuff
I’d get uncomfortable a lot
I’m like, What does Jesus have to do with George Fox?
And when I heard the word Christ it would make my jaw drop
but now I kind of understand the man I’ve got a soft spot

I’m not a Christian but I’m a Quaker
I’ve got Christ’s inner light but he’s not my savior
I’m on a date to meet my maker
I got down at Young Friends
with some funky behavior

Now I’m a liberal Friend
That means F-G-C
and tons of other acronyms that set me free
and I’ve been running the gammut
from Quaker camps to sandwiches
with the Young Friends crew
I know we offend you
but yo, we’re Quaker like the rest of y’all
Just ‘cause we go to bed later
doesn’t mean that midnight isn’t Quaker

And yo I’m sorry like everybody
that Quakers had to split
but just don’t blame Elias Hicks for all our problems
We’re the Society of Friends
it’s time we acted like it
and start to work together just to try to solve them

So all you Friends in the Meetinghouse
put your hands up
and then twist them at the wrist
like you just got out of handcuffs
That’s how you clap for me
you’ve got to clap silently

I’m not a Christian but I’m a Quaker
I’ve got Christ’s inner light but he’s not my savior
I’m on a date to meet my maker
I got down at Young Friends
with some funky behavior

I found George Fox living in a journal
and it’s fertile
I’m learning
I mean, I’ve jumped a lot of hurdles
and done a lot of discerning
just to get to where I’m sure that
the ancestors are working for certain
met the Spirit in person
now I’m living life nurturing worship
(in certain circles there's a focus on service)

Now I know you might say
"Well, that’s some backwards theology"
I know you might say
"Well, that’s not right"
But that’s the way that I grew up
and it’s the way that I’m presenting it
Let’s hold all our differences in the Light
Alright

I’m not a Christian but I’m a Quaker
I’ve got Christ’s inner light but he’s not my savior
I’m on a date to meet my maker
I got down at Young Friends
with some funky behavior

To
Richmond Friends Meeting
BYM
FGC
Guilford College
QLSP
Pendle Hill
Earlham College
Shiloh Quaker Camp
Catoctin and Opequon
FCNL
AFSC
Langley Hill
Friendship Friends Meeting
Ashland Vineyard

FRIEND SPEAKS MY MIND