Jesus The Missing Years Lyrics by John Prine

Jesus The Missing Years Lyrics

    (spoken)
    Jesus.... the missing years

    It was raining. it was cold
    West bethlehem was no place for a twelve year old
    So he packed his bags and he headed out
    To find out what the world's about
    He went to france. he went to spain
    He found love. he found pain.
    He found stores so he started to shop
    But he had no money so he got in trouble with a cop
    Kids in trouble with the cops
    From israel didn't have no home
    So he cut his hair and moved to rome
    It was there he met his irish bride
    And they rented a flat on the lower east side of rome...
    Italy that is
    Music publishers, book binders, bible belters, money changers,
    Spoon benders and lots of pretty italian chicks.

    Chorus:
    Charley bought some popcorn
    Billy bought a car
    Someone almost bought the farm
    But they didn't go that far
    Things shut down at midnight
    At least around here they do
    Cause we all reside down the block
    Inside at ....23 skidoo.

    Wine was flowing so were beers
    So jesus found his missing years
    So he went to a dance and said "this don't move me"
    He hiked up his pants and he went to a movie
    On his thirteenth birthday he saw "rebel without a cause"
    He went straight on home and invented santa claus
    Who gave him a gift and he responded in kind
    He gave the gift of love and went out of his mind
    You see him and the wife wasn't getting along
    So he took out his guitar and he wrote a song
    Called "the dove of love fell off the perch"
    But he couldn't get divorced in the catholic church
    At least not back then anyhow
    Jesus was a good guy he didn't need this shit
    So he took a pill with a bag of peanuts and
    A coca-cola and he swallowed it.
    He discovered the beatles
    And he recorded with the stones
    Once he even opened up a three-way package
    In southern california for old george jones

    Repeat chorus:

    The years went by like sweet little days
    With babies crying pork chops and beaujolais
    When he woke up he was seventeen
    The world was angry. the world was mean.
    Why the man down the street and the kid on the stoop
    All agreed that life stank. all the world smelled like poop
    Baby poop that is ..the worst kind
    So he grew his hair long and thew away his comb
    And headed back to jerusalem to find mom, dad and home
    But when he got there the cupboard was bare
    Except for an old black man with a fishing rod
    He said "whatcha gonna be when you grow up?"
    Jesus said "god"
    Oh my god, what have i gotten myself into?
    I'm a human corkscrew and all my wine is blood
    They're gonna kill me mama. they don't like me bud.
    So jesus went to heaven and he went there awful quick
    All them people killed him and he wasn't even sick
    So come and gather around me my contemporary peers
    And i'll tell you all the story of
    Jesus...the missing years

    Repeat chorus:

    We all reside down the block
    Inside at ....23 skidoo.

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