The gates and doors were barred And all the windows fastened down I spent the night in sleeplessness And rose at every sound Half in hopeless sorrow And half in fear the day Would find the soldiers breakin' through To drag us all away
And just before the sunrise I heard something at the wall The gate began to rattle And a voice began to call I hurried to the window Looked down into the street Expecting swords and torches And the sound of soldiers' feet
But there was no one there but Mary So I went down to let her in John stood there beside me As she told me where she'd been She said they might have moved Him in the night And none of us knows where The stone's been rolled away And now His body isn't there
We both ran toward the garden Then John ran on ahead We found the stone and empty tomb Just the way that Mary said But the winding sheet they wrapped Him in Was just an empty shell And how or where they'd taken Him Was more than I could tell
Oh something strange had happened there Just what I did not know John believed a miracle But I just turned to go Circumstance and speculation Couldn't lift me very high 'Cause I'd seen them crucify him Then I saw him die
Back inside the house again The guilt and anguish came Everything I'd promised Him Just added to my shame When at last it came to choices I denied I knew His name And even if He was alive It wouldn't be the same
But suddenly the air was filled With a strange and sweet perfume Light that came from everywhere Drove the shadows from the room And Jesus stood before me With his arms held open wide And I fell down on my knees And I just clung to Him and cried
Then He raised me to my feet And as I looked into His eyes The love was shining out from Him Like sunlight from the skies Guilt in my confusion Disappeared in sweet release And every fear I'd ever had Just melted into peace
He's alive yes He's alive Yes He's alive and I'm forgiven Heaven's gates are open wide He's alive yes He's alive Oh He's alive and I'm forgiven Heaven's gates are open wide He's alive yes He's alive Hallelujah He's alive He's alive and I'm forgiven Heaven's gates are open wide He's alive He's alive He's alive I believe it He's alive Sweet Jesus