Reply #8: Listening again, now. [View All]

This is from the album "I ain't marching anymore." The playlist on that album provided all one needed to know about why marching in step was not in our class's interest. Starts with "Ballad of a Carpenter," not his lyrics but surely his message:

(before that, edit to add: Those graphics you added really made his message clear. As I listen again to that whole album, his message was, over and over, we are one common people and the class war is real and present in every aspect of our lives.)

Jesus was a working man
And a hero you will hear
Born in the town of Bethlehem
At the turning of the year
At the turning of the year

When Jesus was a little lad
Streets rang with his name
For he argued with the older men
And put them all to shame
He put them all to shame

He became a wandering journeyman
And he traveled far and wide
And he noticed how wealth and poverty
Live always side by side
Live always side by side

So he said "Come you working men
Farmers and weavers too
If you would only stand as one
This world belongs to you
This world belongs to you"

When the rich men heard what the carpenter had done
To the Roman troops they ran
Saying put this rebel Jesus down
He's a menace to God and man
He's a menace to God and man

The commander of the occupying troops
Just laughed and then he said
"There's a cross to spare on Calvaries hill
By the weekend he'll be dead
By the weekend he'll be dead"

Now Jesus walked among the poor
For the poor were his own kind
And they'd never let them get near enough
To take him from behind
To take him from behind

So they hired one of the traders trade
And an informer was he
And he sold his brother to the butchers men
For a fistful of silver money
For a fistful of silver money

And Jesus sat in the prison cell
And they beat him and offered him bribes
To desert the cause of his fellow man
And work for the rich men's tribe,
To work for the rich men's tribe

And the sweat stood out on Jesus' brow
And the blood was in his eye
When they nailed his body to the Roman cross
And they laughed as they watched him die
They laughed as they watched him die

Two thousand years have passed and gone
Many a hero too
But the dream of this poor carpenter
Remains in the hands of you
Remains in the hands of you

Cody tells me that Phil left out some verses and changed some words, so here are the original lyrics:

Jesus was a working man,
A hero as you shall hear.
Born in the slums of Bethle-(Am)hem
At the turning of the year,
Yes, the turning of the year.

When Jesus was a little lad.
The streets rang with his name,
For he argued with the aldermen
And he put them all to shame.
Yes he...

He became a wandering journeyman
And he wandered far and wide,
And he saw how wealth and poverty
Lived always side by side,
Yes...

He said, "Come all you working men,
You farmers and weavers, too.
If you will only organize,
This world belongs to you,
Yes...

When the rich men heard what the carpenter had done,
To the Roman troops they ran.
Saying "Put this rebel Jesus down,
He's a menace to god and man,
Yes...

Jesus walked among the poor
For the poor were his own kind,
And they wouldn't let the cops get near enough
To take him from behind,
Yes...

So they hired one of the traitor's trade
And a stool-pigeon was he
And he sold his brother to the butcher's men
For a fistful of silver money.
Yes...

When Jesus lay in the prisoner's cell,
They beat him and offered him bribes
To desert the cause of his own dear folk
And work for the rich men's tribe,
Yes...

The commander of the occupying troops
He laughed and then he said,
"There's a cross to spare on Calvary Hill,
By the weekend he'll be dead,
Yes..

The sweat stood out upon his brow
And the blood was in his eye,
And they nailed his body to the Roman cross
And they laughed as they watched him die,
Yes..

Two thousand years have passed and gone,
And many a hero too,
But the dream of this poor carpenter
At last it is coming true,
Yes...