Song Lyrics

Jesus

by Joni Mitchell

Earth was in its trouble
Led on by hawks and horns
The child was in its mother
Waiting to be born

He came so full of beauty
He was so bright and free
He said, “It is my duty”
“To give my life for thee”

Jesus was a man who had no money
Soiled and ragged from the wilderness
He came into the cities
He disturbed the order
And the officials of the church and the country

Talking love thy sister and thy brother,
Race and color, love they neighbor
Love the stranger, and love thy enemy
As you march for peace in the streets
Don’t worship how they killed Him
Remember who believed

Bless the kings of mercy
Who traveled to the truth
Have pity on all vanities
That spend the blood of youth

Footnotes

From the liner notes to the first Archive release: Joni: "That’s one song that I forgot I wrote. I really liked it when I heard it. My oldest fan, Sioux, had a copy of it. She played it for me, and I was really surprised. It’s very timely because Christians have gone so far away from the teachings of their icon, you know? It feels timely. It’s something to say to Christians: Why do you worship the way He died and not the way He lived? That’s the essence of the song.