The canker deep has wormed its way, O Lord,
Through every vein of rule and rod of sword;
Like ivy black it climbs the marble stair,
And chokes the light of justice everywhere.

In velvet robes the traitors sit and smile,
Their oaths dissolved in gold, their truth beguile;
The quill that signed the law now signs the sale,
While honest men grow faint and turn their tale.

From palace dome to village courthouse door,
The serpent coils where trust once stood before;
The well of honor, once so pure and clear,
Now runs with bribes and whispers of the fear.

We weary, Lord, of honeyed words that lie,
Of painted smiles beneath a painted sky;
Of righteous men who learned the coward’s art
And traded spine for safety of the heart.

Yet deeper still the sickness lies concealed:
A nation turns from Christ, its soul unrevealed.
Corruption thrives where altars stand forsaken,
Where hearts refuse the cross that sin has taken.

So call us all, O Lord, to bow and see
Our only hope: repent, and turn to Thee!
Let every soul receive the Savior’s grace,
And crown Him King in every heart and place.

For only when we honor Christ as Lord,
As nation, people, city, home, and board,
Will darkness flee, the hidden rot exposed,
And truth arise where once the lie reposed.

Then grant them iron, not the gaudy kind,
But ancient steel that bends not to the wind;
The courage grim that rises in the night
When power’s friends have vanished from the sight.

Let one clear “No” ring out across the hall,
Though titles fall and gilded favors pall;
Let backbone rise, unbowed, unbent, severe,
And drive the darkness trembling from its lair.

Root out the rot, but first root deep within
The remnant few who still recall the sin
Of selling soul for place, for coin, for peace—
And give them strength that never bends, nor flees.

So arm the just with adamant and flame,
That Christ may reign and honor bear His name.
Amen—and swiftly, lest the last light fail
And night eternal claim the common soul.