[Verse] Who is the wise, discerning soul? Let works, not words, be shown; for meekness is the wiser goal than any boast we own. Two wisdoms call along the road, two voices in the street; one carries heaven's gentle load, one draws us to defeat. [Chorus] O give me wisdom from above, first pure, then gentle, kind; and let the mercy of that love leave envy far behind. [Verse] There is a wisdom, hard and cold, that never leaves the ground; it worships power, place, and gold where strife and pride abound. At Babel rose a tower tall to make the builders' name; confusion came and scattered all, abandoned to their shame. [Chorus] O give me wisdom from above, first pure, then gentle, kind; and let the mercy of that love leave envy far behind. [Verse] Two trees in Eden's garden stood: one life, and one of woe; the first bore wisdom, pure and good, worth more than gold below. The serpent lied; they all believed: "as gods, with opened eyes"; they took the fruit, and soon perceived how wisdom turns to lies. [Chorus] O give me wisdom from above, first pure, then gentle, kind; and let the mercy of that love leave envy far behind. [Verse] In Babylon a captive stood with wisdom not his own; he read the dreams no wise man could, and bowed to God alone. The crafty men who watched him kneel laid snares they thought were wise; but lions' mouths that God can seal made fools of clever eyes. [Bridge] The princes of this world were blind: they nailed Him to the tree; but there the wisdom none could find was hung for all to see. For Christ is made our life and light, our wisdom, whole and new; and what the wise called loss and night was God's own wisdom true. [Verse] But wisdom from the Father falls like light on waking eyes; it answers gently when it calls and never wears disguise. It bends to hear the wounded plea, it shows no partial face; its mercy sets the debtor free and fills the room with grace. [Chorus] O give me wisdom from above, first pure, then gentle, kind; and let the mercy of that love leave envy far behind.