[Verse 1]
Tell me are you feelin'
The heaviness I'm feelin'
'Cause the space between the word I read
And the world I see feels crazy
Are we being honest
'Cause if I'm being honest
I preach the news
More than gospel truth
And I don't think twice about it
Maybe there's a bigger picture
We've been missing
Something different
[Chorus]
Ain't talkin' 'bout a Sunday only
Actin' holy
Easy kinda faith
Ain't talkin 'bout a barely going
Through the motions
Empty kinda praise
I'm talking 'bout a heart that looks like Jesus
Like His hands, like His feet
There's one Way one Truth one Life that sets us free
That's what we need
Oh, that's what we need
[Verse 2]
Faith to move the mountains
It ain't about the mountains
It's when the least of these
And the neighbor sees
That we genuinely love them
Maybe there's a bigger purpose
We've been given
Something different
[Chorus]
Ain't talkin' 'bout a Sunday only
Actin' holy
Easy kinda faith
Ain't talkin 'bout a barely going
Through the motions
Empty kinda praise
I'm talking 'bout a heart that looks like Jesus
Like His hands, like His feet
There's one Way one Truth one Life that sets us free
That's what we need
Oh, that's what we need
[Verse 3]
We need shelter for the orphan
Healing for the broken
Mercy and compassion
We need it
We need grace to be our banner
Love to be the standard
The only thing that matters
We need it
[Chorus]
Ain't talkin' 'bout a Sunday only
Actin' holy
Easy kinda faith
Ain't talkin 'bout a barely going
Through the motions
Empty kinda praise
I'm talking 'bout a heart that looks like Jesus
Like His hands, like His feet
There's one Way one Truth one Life that sets us free
That's what we need
[Verse 4]
We need it
We need it
That's what we need
We need it
We need it
That's what we need
That's what we need
That's what we need
We need it
That's what we need
That's What We Need
Song Meaning
Anne Wilson draws a sharp line in "That's What We Need" between two versions of faith that can look identical from the outside — "ain't talkin' 'bout a Sunday only, actin' holy, easy kinda faith... ain't talkin' 'bout a barely going through the motions, empty kinda praise." The song doesn't attack church attendance itself, only the version of it that stops there.
"I preach the news more than gospel truth, and I don't think twice about it" is a rare moment of self-implication rather than outside criticism — Wilson includes her own habits in the diagnosis before offering the alternative. "A heart that looks like Jesus, like His hands, like His feet" locates the actual standard in imitation rather than correct belief alone.
The bridge gets specific about what that imitation requires — "shelter for the orphan, healing for the broken, mercy and compassion" — turning the song's abstract complaint about empty religion into a concrete list of what a genuine one would actually do.