The Crucifixion (Album Version) - Phil Ochs
And the night comes again to
The circle studded sky
The stars settle slowly
In loneliness they lie
Til the Universe explodes
As a falling star is raised
Planets are paralyzed mountains are amazed
But they all glow brighter
From the brilliance of the blaze
With the speed of insanity then He died
In the green fields a
Turning baby is born
His cries crease the wind
And mingle with the morn
An assault upon the order
Changing of the guard
Chosen for a challenge that
Is hopelessly hard
And the only single sound is
The sighing of the stars
But to the silence of
Distance they are sworn
So dance dance dance
Teach us to be true
Come dance dance dance
Cause we love you
Images of innocence charge Him go on
But the decadence of destiny
Is looking for a pawn
To a nightmare of knowledge
He opens up the gate
Binding revelation is laid
Upon His plate
That beneath the greatest
Love is a hurricane of hate
And God help the critic of the dawn
So he stands on the sea and
He shouts to the shore
But the louder that He screams
Longer He's ignored
For the wine of oblivion is
Drunk to the dregs
And the merchants of the
Masses almost have to be begged
'Til the giant is aware
Someone's pulling at His leg
And someone is tapping at the door
To dance dance dance
Teach us to be true
Come dance dance dance
Cause we love you
Then His message gathers meaning
And it spreads across the land
The rewarding of His pain is
The following of the man
But ignorance is everywhere
And people have their way
Success is an enemy to
The losers of the day
In the shadows of the churches
Who knows what they pray
For blood is the language of the band
The Spanish bulls are beaten
The crowd is soon beguiled
The matador is beautiful
A symphony of style
Excitement is ecstatic
Passion places bets
Gracefully He bows to
Ovations that He gets
But the hands that are
Applauding are slippery with sweat
And saliva is falling from their smiles
So dance dance dance
Teach us to be true
Come dance dance dance
'Cause we love you
Then this overflow of life
Is crushed into a liar
The Gentle Soul is ripped
Apart and tossed into the fire
First a smile of rejection
At the nearness of the night
Truth becomes a tragedy
Limping from the light
All the canons are horrified
They stagger from the sight
As the Cross is trembling with desire
They say they can't believe it
It's a sacrilegious shame
Now who would want to hurt
Such a Hero of the game
But you know I predicted it
I knew He had to fall
How did it happen
I hope His suffering was small
Tell me every detail
I've got to know it all
And do you have a picture of the pain
So dance dance dance
Teach us to be true
Come dance dance dance
'Cause we love you
Time takes her toll and memory fades
But His glory is broken
In magic that He made
Reality is ruined
It's the freeing from the fear
Drama is distorted
What they want to hear
Swimming in their sorrow
In the twisting of a tear
As they wait for a new thrill parade
Yes the eyes of the rebel
Have been branded by the blind
To the safety of sterility
The threat has been refined
The child was created
To the slaughterhouse he's led
So good to be alive when the eulogy is read
Climax of emotion the worship of the dead
And the cycle of sacrifice unwinds
So dance dance dance
Teach us to be true
Come dance dance dance
'Cause we love you
And the night comes again
To the circle studded sky
The stars settle slowly
In loneliness they lie
'Till the universe explodes
As a falling star is raised
Planets are paralyzed mountains are amazed
But they all glow brighter
From the brilliance of the blaze
With the speed of insanity then He died
