Lyrics
14.
Now the Passover was the time
Authorities sought to kill him.
Take him, they said, before the feast,
For people will his chains protest,
And now did Judas play his role
And on the soldiers paid his call:
If he could his Lord deliver,
They would pay thirty coins of silver.
Now Jesus was at Bethany,
Simon the leper come to see.
As in the house he sat and fed
A woman poured oil on his head.
A fragrant, precious oil it was,
And some asked, Why do you do this?
Why waste this precious oil on him?
Sell it and help the poor with alms.
But Jesus said, Trouble her not,
This is her duty and her right,
You always have the poor with you,
But to another place I go.
She knows beforehand where that is:
For death this living corpse prepares.
And truly I say now to you
The world will hold her deed in awe.
So on the day they killed the lamb,
Jesus’ disciples said to him,
Where now would you have us all go
Prepare this Passover for you?
And of the twelve he sent out two,
Saying, Into the city go,
And you will meet a servant there
Carrying a big water jar.
Follow, and to his master speak,
And there is where we bread shall break.
It so befell them as he said,
And they cooked lamb, and baked the bread.
As evening fell, Jesus came in,
Sat down to eat, and said to them,
One of you twelve will sell my head
Who will be eating of this bread.
And when they hung their heads and wept,
He said, The one whose bread will dip
Into the dish with mine, this one,
’Tis better never had been born.
Now as they ate he took the bread,
Blest, broke and passed it to each hand,
Saying, This is my body, eat.
So said he of the loaf of bread.
And then he took a cup of wine,
Blest and passed it from hand to hand,
Saying, My blood of the covenant,
Drink this, for many it is spent.
I shall not drink this wine again
Till in God’s kingdom I am gone.
Together then they sang a hymn
And to the Mount of Olives came.
You will all fall away, he said,
As the blows fall around my head,
For as God strikes the shepherd sure,
So then the sheep are scattered far,
But when I come back from the dead
Through Galilee this flock I’ll lead.
No, Lord, said Peter, I’ll not fall,
These others may, but I stand tall.
Said Jesus, Ere the cock crows twice,
Tonight, you will betray me thrice!
But Peter said with heated claim,
I die before I smirch your name.
And so they all the same did say,
As Jesus went alone to pray.
In Gethsemane, there he sat,
Peter, and James, and John without.
Then he begged them, sore at his heart,
Stay here and watch, this is your part!
He fell and twisted on the ground
And asked God take away his wound,
Said, Take away this cup of gall!
Yet not what I, but what you will.
He came out, saw that Peter slept,
And said, I know your ease does tempt,
But could you not one hour watch here?
Helping us all our souls prepare?
Your spirit is a willing force,
But now your flesh is weak, or worse.
Yet one more time he went away,
And off to sleep again went they,
So in the darkness he came forth
And gauged one final time their worth.
Up, up, enough, the hour has struck,
Call in the souls both dead and quick.
The Son of Man is now betrayed
And by the hands of sinners flayed.
And as he spoke, so Judas did
Arrive with sword and multitude,
On Jesus’ lips did plant his kiss,
So would the guards know whom to seize.
And one of Jesus’ followers
Cut off the high priest’s servant’s ear,
And Jesus cried, Why do you so
With sword and club against me go?
When I by day in temple taught,
They did not come with anger fraught,
Nor with anger should I be called;
But let the scriptures be fulfilled.
Ev’ry one of his foll’wers fled,
Even a youth in linen clad,
Around his trunk the cloth was wr
