Lyr Req: The Man Who Called Himself Jesus

Subject: Lyr Req: The Man Who Called Himself Jesus
From: GUEST,Shimrod
Date: 27 Jun 08 - 04:25 AM

The 'Worst Song Ever' thread brought to mind a truly awful song by the Strawbs, I think(?) It was called 'The Man Who Called Himself Jesus'. One particularly piquant verse goes, "I thought my pint of beer had turned into a pint of blood" (lovely!).

I'm sure I've mentioned this before but I put it in the search engine and nothing came up. Anyone else remember this catastrophe of a song?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Man Who Called Himself Jesus
From: GUEST,Volgadon
Date: 27 Jun 08 - 04:48 AM

Googled it, plenty of results.

He came into the shop and looked me straight between the eyes
And said "You know I'm Jesus", and I must have looked surprised

Because he said "Please don't be hasty, no-one understands
But I've got a way to prove it" and he lifted up his hands.

He was the man who called himself Jesus.

For a minute I was speechless, then I looked into his face
With sufficient lines of sadness for the total human race
And I said "You must be joking" but he slowly shook his head
And said "That's what they all say, I might as well be dead".

He asked me if I knew a place where he could start to preach
I said "Well try a church or maybe Brighton beach"
And I was trying to be serious but he didn't seem impressed
He said "You think I'm crazy, you're just like all the rest".

I was really quite embarrassed, he was looking so sincere
So I said "I close the shop soon, won't you come and have a beer"
Then he asked me if I meant it and he smiled a funny smile
And he said he'd rather like that and he hung arounds a while.

On the way he stopped to pat little children's heads
And he taught them one line prayers to say as they went off to their beds
But mostly they were frightened and they looked at him wide eyed
And when he said his name was Jesus, one girl even cried.

In the pub I asked him if he'd tried to see the Pope
And he said although he'd thought about it there was really not a hope
Then he said he thought he'd better go, he had some work to do
He said he'd come and see me in about a week or two.

Well after he had gone I thought of what he'd said
And all his funny actions they kept running through my head
And when I felt my mind was drowning in a sea of mud
It seemed his pint of beer had turned into a pint of blood

What a weird song!!!!!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Man Who Called Himself Jesus
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 27 Jun 08 - 04:48 AM

Indeed I do; wasn't it awful. Mind I seem to remember another ghastly Strawbs song called [I believe] 'Pieces of 79 and 16'.

Giok

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Man Who Called Himself Jesus
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 27 Jun 08 - 05:20 AM

Oops, dead heat posting there.
As I remember, the Strawbs, who started off as The Strawberry Hill Boys, playing a lot of bluegrass banjo stuff, were named after the teachers training college they attended at Strawberry Hill in Twickenham.
This was a Catholic establishment, and I think that the Principal at that time was Father Cashin, a very interesting man.
Perhaps this Catholic background, might have contributed toward this odd song.

Giok

Subject: Lyr Add: MAN WHO CALLED HIMSELF JESUS (D Cousins)
From: The Doctor
Date: 27 Jun 08 - 05:31 AM

From the album 'Strawbs', 1969
          The man who called himself Jesus:

He came into the shop and looked me straight between the eyes
And said, 'You know I'm Jesus', and I must have looked surprised.
He said, 'Please don't be hasty, no-one understands,
But I've got a way to prove it' and he lifted up his hands.
    He was the man who called himself Jesus

For a minute I was speechless, then I looked into his face,
With sufficient lines of sadness for the total human race,
And I said, 'You must be joking!' But he slowly shook his head
And said, 'That's what they all say. I might as well be dead.'

He asked me if I knew a place where he could start to preach,
And I said, 'Well, try a church, or maybe Brighton Beach'
And I was trying to be serious but he didn't seem impressed.
He said, 'You think I'm crazy, you're just like all the rest.'

I was really quite embarrassed, he was looking so sincere,
So I said, 'I close the shop soon, won't you come and have a beer?'
He asked me if I meant it and he gave a funny smile
And said he'd rather like that and he hung around a while.

On the way he stopped to pat little children's heads
And taught them one-line prayers to say when they went off to their beds.
But mostly they were frightened and they looked at him wide-eyed
And when he said his name was Jesus one girl even cried.

In the pub I asked him if he'd tried to see the pope
And he said although he'd thought about it there was really not a hope.
Then he said he thought he'd better go, he had some work to do.
He said he'd come and see me in about a week or two.

After he had gone I thought of what he'd said
And all his funny actions they kept running through my head
And when I felt my mind was drowning in a sea of mud
It seemed his pint of beer had turned into a pint of blood.
    He was the man who called himself Jesus   x2

Written by Dave Cousins. I have a vague recollection that it was based on, or inspired by, a true story, hence the interview that precedes the song. I could never decide whether it was intended to be serious or a send-up, but quite a number of Cousins' songs have a religious or mystical feel to them.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Man Who Called Himself Jesus
From: The Doctor
Date: 27 Jun 08 - 05:33 AM

Between reading the thread and transcribing them words Volgadon beat me to it.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Man Who Called Himself Jesus
From: GUEST,Shimrod
Date: 27 Jun 08 - 09:32 AM

If this appears twice it's because the first attempt appeared to disappear into cyberspace ...

Thanks Volgadon & The Doctor,

Ah, nostalgia isn't what it used to be! Or in this particular case it isn't!

I'd completely forgotten about the verse which begins:

"In the pub I asked him if he'd tried to see the pope
And he said although he'd thought about it there was really not a hope..."

Priceless!! A gem!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Man Who Called Himself Jesus
From: GUEST
Date: 27 Jun 08 - 09:41 AM

Great song! especially when sung by the late, great Colin Scott.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Man Who Called Himself Jesus
From: GUEST,Volgadon
Date: 27 Jun 08 - 09:45 AM

The Doctor???????? Not THE Doctor?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Man Who Called Himself Jesus
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 27 Jun 08 - 10:46 AM

Oh Scotty you're a terrible man
Get drunk any time you can
A sort of rambling gambling Desperate Dan.

[Words not quite right.]

Alan Taylor's song for Scotty.


G

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Man Who Called Himself Jesus
From: GUEST,Dave MacKenzie
Date: 27 Jun 08 - 07:35 PM

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Man Who Called Himself Jesus
From: GUEST,Dave MacKenzie
Date: 27 Jun 08 - 07:40 PM

Oops - keep forgetting that the newline key isn't in mudcat.

The biggest disappointment was actually seeing Strawberry Hill, especially after falling asleep on the last train to Kingston!

Seriously though, I always thought this was the Strawb's best song, whether you take it as human psychology or theology.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Man Who Called Himself Jesus
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 28 Jun 08 - 05:22 AM

Strawberry Hill House
It is now a part of St Mary's College, the Catholic teacher training college I mentioned before.
Remember Dave that it was Kingston you were going to, nothing can really be more visually disappointing than Kingston-upon-Thames.
G ¦¬]

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Man Who Called Himself Jesus
From: GUEST,Shimrod
Date: 28 Jun 08 - 12:17 PM

"...nothing can really be more visually disappointing than Kingston-upon-Thames."

I beg to differ - what about that magnificent gold statue of Queen Anne in the town square (I hope I've got the right Kingston-upon-Thames)?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Man Who Called Himself Jesus
From: Jeanie
Date: 29 Jun 08 - 01:56 AM

"The Doctor": you are right, it was based on a real experience. I remember first hearing this song at the Essex Folk Festival 1968 (in a tent at the back of a pub in Collier Row near Romford). Dave Cousins introduced the song as being inspired by an encounter he had had in shop where a man had walked in and claimed to be Jesus.

I agree with Dave MacKenzie: whichever way you interpret it (psychology/theology) it is a brilliant song. It made a big impression on me at the time and I have never forgotten it.

- jeanie

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Man Who Called Himself Jesus
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 29 Jun 08 - 04:52 AM

OK Shimrod, now name something else nice in K-u-T? That statue is in the market area, just about the only nice bit remaining of old Kingston.

G ¦¬]

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Man Who Called Himself Jesus
From: The Doctor
Date: 29 Jun 08 - 06:24 AM

Oh, Collier Row, I remember it well, and Roneo Corner where we used to wait for the bus back to Goodmayes after visiting my grandmother in Elm Park. As for the song, it got played a lot on Radio 2, especially by John Dunn, and I think that's what first attracted me to The Strawbs. I was never entirely happy with some of the lines, but overall I liked it, and it introduced to me to many other great songs.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Man Who Called Himself Jesus
From: GUEST,Shimrod
Date: 29 Jun 08 - 01:04 PM

Sorry, John 'Giok' - I've only been once (about 6 years ago) and the statue is about the only thing I can remember - apart from a rather good pub lunch (not very memorable, then ...).

Oh yes, I went shopping with a lady friend (always a bit of a mistake if you're a bloke). The next weekend we went shopping again (groan!) in Manchester's Trafford Centre. I remember thinking that, apart from the roof on the TC, the two shopping centres were virtually identical!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Man Who Called Himself Jesus
From: GUEST,Dave MacKenzie
Date: 29 Jun 08 - 06:49 PM

There are things I miss about Kingston, but they've all gone! Though I'm sure I saw the Bentall's Centre on Primeval - great film set, but not apatch on the one they knocked down.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Man Who Called Himself Jesus
From: Joe Offer
Date: 05 Jul 08 - 11:04 AM

There's a YouTube Video that will show you how truly awful this song is.
...but why is it that I feel strangely attracted to this song??

-Joe-

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Man Who Called Himself Jesus
From: dulcimerjohn
Date: 05 Jul 08 - 02:36 PM

Cousins is god..

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Man Who Called Himself Jesus
From: GUEST
Date: 05 Jul 08 - 08:41 PM

I thought the song was brilliant when I first heard it at the age of 17 but had thankfully forgotten about it for the best part of the last 40 years.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Man Who Called Himself Jesus
From: rehab13
Date: 09 Jul 08 - 02:52 PM

Thank you
I never heard it,   reminds me --of--------- What if God was one of us just a stranger on the bus. I wonder -who else heard it since it has been around 40 yrs   
      dee

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Man Who Called Himself Jesus
From: Zen
Date: 10 Jul 08 - 12:39 PM

I remember it well, The Strawbs was one one of the early albums I bought... although I prefer the equally melodramatic The Battle from the same album which I still find myself lapsing into whilst noodling on the guitar at home.

I remember Kingston also with great disaffection from my younger days. I wonder if the Fighting Cocks is still there which hosted some good sessions way back when.

Zen