As a student at Miami University, Oxford O. in 1960, I co-founded the Folk Song Club. Denied official status, it was, for that reason very popular and very irreverent. A few of us learned a parody song whose origin I cannot now find, called "The Savior who Never Returned" More than irreverent, it poked fun at the Kingston Trio's crass commercialism. It went like this: The Savior who Never Returned Let me tell you the story of a man named Jesus On a tragic and fateful day He put three nails in his pocket, took a cross on his shoulder And to Calvary marched away Chorus But did he ever return? No he never returned And his fate is still unlearned We may wait forever for the second coming He’s the saviour who never returned Well they nailed him to the cross, his followers gathered round him And the people all begged to learn The last words of wisdom of their dying saviour And to find out what day he’d return Cho. Well all night long Jesus hung by his fingers With the blood dripping down his side And when his disciples returned in the morning They found Jesus Christ had died Cho Well you’ve all heard tell that to get into heaven You have to pay a tenth of what you earn Fight the fare increase, join Billy Graham’s crusade Help Jesus Christ return Or else he’ll never return, no he'll never return And his fate will be unlearned He may roast forever in the fire and brimstone He's the Savior who never returned.
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