Jesus came to tell a story (The Ballad of the Sower)

Jesus came to tell a story to a crowd one day,

                  with so many people waiting to hear what he'd say.

Told a story of a sower with his seed in hand; 

                  what he wanted them to know was where the seed did land.

Jesus told his stories; do we understand?

                  Jesus told his stories; will we ever learn to understand?

 

Seed that fell upon the pathway didn't last too long, 

                  for the birds came down to eat it and to sing their song.

Seed that fell upon the hard rock grew up way too fast; 

                  then the sun rose up and scorched it, and it could not last.

Jesus told his stories; do we understand?

                  Jesus told his stories; will we ever learn to understand?

 

Seed that fell into the briar patch never had a chance;

                  all the thorns grew up and choked it 'fore it could advance.

But the seed that fell on good soil grew into good grain,

                  multiplying and advancing, soaking up the rain.

Jesus told his stories; do we understand?

                  Jesus told his stories; will we ever learn to understand?

 

Jesus came and told his story so that we might know 

                  what it means to be so fruitful on the path we go.

Be the ones who hear the good word and accept it true

                  so it grows in us and shows us what to say and do.

Jesus told his stories; do we understand?

                  Jesus told his stories; will we ever learn to understand?

 

 

TEXT: Charles Spence Freeman, January 2024, after Mark 4:1-9.

MUSIC: Tune MIDNIGHT SPECIAL, US folk melody.

An experiment in taking old folk tunes and ballads as musical material for telling the parables of Jesus.