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'JOHN AND JESUS' - FULL LYRICS BELOW
My telling of the story of St. John the Baptist, called 'greatest prophet of all' by his cousin Jesus. August 29th commemorates John's martyrdom by beheading. June 24 is the feast-day of his birth.
The first line of the chorus refers to the original meaning of the word Baptism - 'being overwhelmed by the waters' or 'drowning'. It is quite a long song, touching on serious matters, yet I have often heard of its popularity with young people. Here is an example:
"I’m the classroom music teacher at St John’s School (K-12) in Roma, Queensland. We use your song 'John and Jesus' every year for our leadership Mass. It’s got a life of its own now! Lots of actions and movement – it gives us so much joy! Our school is named after John the Baptist, and we started using the song about 17 years ago. It was a great way to tell John’s story and I really loved the images. We started with actions just for the chorus, but now the whole school knows the song pretty well 'off-by-heart' with actions for each line". (Carmel Treasure)
lyrics
JOHN AND JESUS
Of John and Jesus, the rise and the fall:
John was the prophet, the greatest of all
And Jesus the saviour whom God did send.
They had the same message and came to the same sudden end.
John kept to basics in food and in dress.
He made his home out in the wilderness.
And the down and the out were his neighbours there.
He showed us a way when we didn't know where to begin. He said:
CHORUS: Come on everyone to the river to drown
To be tumbled and tossed, turned upside down.
Change your heart, come clear your mind
And find your feet on new ground.
One day the pharisees came from the town -
Smooth talking men in their fancy gowns.
And John he said, "You're a brood of snakes!
You know every law but not what it takes to be good".
He spoke without fear and news of him spread.
The poor like children came to hear what he said.
He wasn't giving them stones, he gave them bread.
They fed on the truth -
Every word that he said, said it all. He said: CHORUS.
John gave a warning - destruction is due.
The people asked him, "just what should we do?"
"If you've got two coats then one is to share.
If you have power
Be sure you are fair to the poor".
You know that Jesus, when he came along
He went straight to the river to be baptised by John
He took his place where John took his stand
Brought news of a Kingdom where the poor of the land could belong. They said: CHORUS.
Old Herod the King liked to hear John speak -
What he said made him nervous but he sure was unique.
Then John criticised his plans to rewed
So they put him in prison -
Before very long, John was dead.
And how many people since Jesus and John
Spoke out the truth and soon were gone;
After naming the names of the snakes in the pile
They're gone ... but just for a while. They said: CHORUS.
What did you go to the desert to see?
Was it a reed shaking in the breeze?
Oh no, it was a wiry tree growing up strong
In a place where a tree shouldn't be. CHORUS x 2.
Words and music by Peter Kearney
credits
released August 24, 2019
RELATED RESOURCES
Available through Peter Kearney's Online Store:
1. CD-AUDIO: All 10 songs from 'Signs of Hope', including 'John and Jesus' are included on Peter's double-CD compilation 'Make Me a Song' (The Best of 25 Years). The cd is still available. Link: peterkearneysongs.com.au/product/356147
2. PDF MUSIC for the song 'John and Jesus'. Link: peterkearneysongs.com.au/product/566434
2. CD-ROM: Music, lyrics, chords for 34 of the 36 songs in the 'Make Me a Song' double-cd are available as a CD-Rom containing pdf scans from the original music books. Link: peterkearneysongs.com.au/product/554037
INFORMATION ON THIS RECORDING:
RECORDED 1986 in the Restless Studio, Balmain. The song is one of ten tracks on the 'Signs of Hope' album by Peter Kearney + Crossover.
VOICES: Peter Kearney, Linda Berry, Penny Davies, Louise Gore, Roger Ilott, Claire Parkhill
INSTRUMENTS: Peter Kearney (guitar), Roger Ilott (guitar), Ross Grierson (bass), Linda Berry (flute)
ARTWORK: 'Signs of Hope' artwork by Karin Donaldson. 'Make Me a Song' artwork by Dorothy Woodward, who also did the drawing of John the Baptist.
COMMENTS:
* Another strong song that musically makes good sense of the lyrics about its strange invitation to drown. I like John's cheerfulness in the chorus, and great to hear the hugely positive response from the school. Keep 'em coming!
* A great song. Not only is it a bright tune, but the lyrics are profound.
Peter Kearney is an Australian songwriter and singer. His early folk-hymns 'Fill My House' & 'The Beatitudes' are
internationally known. He has written many other songs of justice and peace, songs for children, and a musical-narrative on St. Francis of Assisi. His published recordings include 153 original songs.
LINKS BELOW are for Peter's:
- Website
- Online store
- Facebook Artist Page....more
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