1 O when Jesus lay there in the manger
then his head was as soft as thistledown;
but how could we know that this tiny little child
would have thistles and thorns for his crown (O yes!),
would have thistles and thorns for his crown?
2 O when Jesus laboured in the village
people said that their carpenter was good;
but how could we know that to finish off his work
he'd be nailed to a great trunk of wood (O yes!)?
he'd be nailed to a great trunk of wood?
3 O when Jesus rode into the city
then it seemed that he couldn't go wrong;
but how could we know that by Friday nine o'clock
they would sing quite a new kind of song (O yes!)?
they would sing quite a new kind of song?
4 O when Jesus hung there in the darkness
we all heard when he shouted out loud;
but how could we know he was hanging there for us
who were only a part of the crowd (O yes!)?
who were only a part of the crowd ?
5 O when Jesus drained the cup of horror
then they laid him inside the quiet tomb;
but how could we know on the first day of the week
he would eat from the sweet honeycomb (O yes!)?
he would eat from the sweet honeycomb ?
Christopher Idle
© Christopher Idle/Jubilate Hymns Ltd
