Thoughts and Prayers

A teenage boy slips his way through a schoolhouse door
Rifle in his hands and murder on his mind
Bullets fly and casings rattle on the classroom floor
Leaving little broken bodies lost long before their time 
And when the smoke clears, and silence fills the air
Only desperate tears remain and tortured thoughts and prayers
Thoughts and prayers…

A man wearing a uniform, a Stetson and a frown
Steps up to the microphone, Glock strapped to his side
Swearing they did all they could to bring that gunman down  
But not before nineteen children lost their lives
Looking at the faces crowded on the small town square
He sends out to the grieving the department’s thoughts and prayers
Thoughts and prayers…

And all across the nation the mourning has begun
One nation under God, one nation under guns

The anchor reads a press release from the NRA
Our hearts are with the families and precious children lost
We know their sorrow and the heavy price they paid
But our rights are sacred, and freedom has its cost
There are those who’ll tell you that we don’t seem to care
But be assured you’ll always have our thoughts and prayers
Thoughts and prayers…

Is this all that we have to offer? All we have to share?
Hollow condolences and our thoughts and prayers?
Thoughts and prayers…