Jesus, said Jesus, awake on the cross What d’you have to go and summon Satan for? I’m supposed to sleep in for a couple of days But now there’s all this chaos and war
And he’s everywhere, TV and radio Right across the social media shitshow Wherever your midnight doom scrolling might go With a bunch of leering demons in tow
Wait, you expected hellfire and brimstone With a laptop and a mobile phone? C’mon, horns and hooves are a bit mediaeval These days he manifests as real estate evil
With a raging, rambling, boiling sea of lies And an infernal wardrobe full of red ties Every time he smiles a Gazan baby dies And he has nothing but greed in his eyes
Jesus, said Jesus, awake on the cross You let out death, famine, conquest and war You say you’re Christians, but you don’t care for the poor What d’you have to go and summon Satan for?
John the Revelator saw the Son of Man With seven stars and seven lampstands Eyes of fire and hair of wool Voice like a roaring waterfall He said I was dead but now I’m alive Do you want to walk with me in the light If you have ears, then hear my cry The Devil wears a long red tie
John the Revelator saw God on his throne With a face that shone like a precious stone Twenty-four elders in crowns of gold Seven lit torches so the story’s told Around the throne on each of its sides A lion, a bull, an eagle in flight Each creature covered in eyes To better see the Devil in a long red tie
John the Revelator saw the lamb and the scroll Saw the lamb die and saw him made whole Saw the lamb break the seven seals Saw the horses heard the trumpet peals Hail and fire, a sea of blood Poisoned water and the sun was struck The seventh trumpet signalled time For the Devil in the long red tie
John the Revelator saw the clouds blacken Saw the sky filled with a great red dragon Seven heads with a crown on each one Chased the woman with the dress made from the sun John the Revelator saw it happen John the Revelator saw the Great Red Dragon Ten horns and fourteen eyes The dragon wore a long red tie
John saw a beast rise from the sea And the beast’s name was Blasphemy Ten horns on seven heads held high Blasphemy wore a long red tie John saw a beast rise from the earth Made everybody praise the first beast’s worth Made fire rain from the sky The beast wore a long red tie
The beast of the earth risen from slumber Made the people wear its mark or its number Forbidding them to sell or buy Unless they wore a long red tie
John saw a lake of sulphur and fire In which to cast the Devil and Liar Eternal torment dispensed from on high For the Devil in the long red tie For the Devil in the long red tie For the Devil in the long red tie
This is the real life This is the butcher This the austere knife The hand that pushed her These are the cuts This is the missed meal This door is shut This wound will not heal
This is the teacher With nothing to say This is the preacher With no room to pray This is the healer Refusing to heal This is the dealer With souls to steal
This is the leader With no will to lead He’s pleased to meet her In her hour of need This is the Jesus Asleep on the cross This is God sees us God don’t give a toss
This is the ceasefire Where bullets still fly This is the liar On whom they rely This is the snake oil This is the monorail This is the frog boil This is the tall tale
This is the real life This is the war This is real spite Despite the law These are the orphans These are the limbs This is the organ These are the hymns
This is the refugee This is the other This is her rescue me This is her colour This is the problem This is the scapegoat This is one of them This is a small boat
These are the wages These are the prices These are the places This is the crisis This is the circus These are the clowns We give them purpose We give them crowns
This is the real life Here is your bill Here come the far-right Here is the red pill This is the phone-in This is the show No serotonin Nowhere to go
This is the real life This is the butcher This the austere knife The hand that pushed her This is the real life This is the last chance This is the real life This is the last dance
Steve White & The Protest Family 