This New Jerusalem

David
I shall praise you, Lord
For bringing me up to this place
As I move toward
The city and hope of my race
As I dare recall
The deeds of our ancestors, their supplication, and prayer
Never once
Losing their faith in their God through the years of despair

I am the blood of Abraham
The seed of an immortal line
Whose life was given to his God
Whose promise to his God is mine
And to this new Jerusalem
Our fathers come at last
The sons of Jacob live again
The glories of our sacred past
Jerusalem, Jerusalem
Though palaces may rise
Within your walls, your dust, your stones
Are prize enough for these contented eyes

I shall build the Lord
A temple in this holy town
As we move toward
One nation and one single crown
Lest we should pretend
Our earthly achievements are somehow the work of mere man
This I know:
God is the reason--at best, we are part of His plan

Absalom, my son
I am now the king of all Israel
A long journey completed
But yours has barely begun . . .

Israelites
I never believed I would see Israel united under one king
I never believed I would see Jerusalem as our capital

Absalom
I am the blood of Abraham
The seed of an immortal line
Whose life was given to his God
Whose promise to his God is mine

Absalom, David, and Chorus
And to this new Jerusalem
Our fathers come at last
The sons of Jacob live again
The glories of our sacred past
Jerusalem, Jerusalem
Though palaces may rise
Within your walls, your dust, your stones
Are prize enough for these contented eyes

Entry into Jerusalem (Incorporating Psalm 24)

David
The earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof
The world, and they that dwell therein
For He hath founded it upon the seas
And established it upon the floods

Women
Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord?

Men
And who shall stand in His holy place?

David
He that stands with a pure heart
Who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity
Nor sworn deceitfully

Chorus
He shall receive the blessing from the Lord
And righteousness from the God of his salvation
This is the generation of them that seek Him
That seek they face O Jacob. Jacob

David
Lift up your heads, O yet gates
And be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors

David and Men
And the King of glory shall come in

David and Chorus
Who is this King of Glory?

Women
The Lord strong and mighty

Men
The Lord mighty in battle

David
Lift up your heads, O yet gates
And be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors
And the King of glory shall come in
Who is this King of glory?

All
The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory
The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory

The Death of Saul

Saul
The terrors of the field
The horrors of the battle . . .

My crime is unexplained
So cannot be defended
The shepherd and the Philistines
Close in . . .

I may be cut down
In the field of battle
Be exterminated by the Philistine
But the cause of death
Will not be the heathen
Will not be some man whose sword dispatches mine
David is the one!
David, my assassin
David planned disposal of me long ago
He alone the cause
Of my degradation
Whether there or not to deal the final blow
Why has the Lord deserted me?
Samuel talk to me, Samuel talk to me, Samuel talk to me . . .

Ghost of Samuel
What can you want of me?
You from whom the Lord has departed?
He has taken the kingdom from your hand
and given it to David
Because you did not obey the word of the Lord
He will deliver Israel to its enemies
And tomorrow you and your sons will die
On the fields of Gilboa

Saul
Now I understand
Everything that's happened
Every gruesome prophecy has come to pass
All, that is, but one
Yet to be delivered,
I have still to sink into the vile morass
All my sons are dead
Jonathan, you failed me
Couldn't stay alive to help your father die
Jonathan, you fool
Put your faith in David
Trusted the seducer--the deceiver--why?

The dogs are on the run
Their venom ever nearer
And every moment clearer
That their will be done
What kind of crime provokes
Eternal persecution?
What kind of God would kill a man
So easy to destroy?
I fall upon my sword
But that is no solution
The enemy within
Still loves the shepherd boy

Hunted Partridge on the Hill

Joab
Into the wilderness out on his own praying, crying for
Signs of divine intervention but deep in his soul
Faith in himself and his Maker most certainly dying for
lack of hope, loss of face, loss of will
Like a hunted partridge on the hill
Like a hunted partridge on the hill

Saul
David has betrayed
Privilege and high position
Every move I made
To ensure his recognition
Every accolade
Handed to this cheap musician
May he rot in hell
Or at least in barren places
Daughter, can't you tell?
Every breath he takes debases
You and me as well
Shames, humiliates, disgraces--
But I can
Humiliate him too
For I am giving you
To another man!

Michal
Do what you like with me
What difference could it make?
Not even David is my master
I love him very much
But I have more at stake
I'm not part of your disaster

Joab
Saul in his court, breathing fire, losing touch with reality
David forced out to the badlands beyond Saul's control
Slowly, supporters moved in to this bleakest locality
But they're few, they are wild, he is still
Like a hunted partridge on the hill
Like a hunted partridge on the hill

David
Lunacy prevails
Melancholy voices crying
Rumors, stories, tales
News of Saul is terrifying

Flying off the rails
Israel, your soul is dying
If I am accused
By a manic king of treason
If I am abused
If the madman puts the squeeze on
If I am refused
Justice then there is no reason
To lie low

Might as well commit
The crime, be done with it
Nothing left to lose! And so . . .

Come to me, fight with me, rescue our race from insanity
Cousins and brothers and strangers, my saviors are found
Four hundred, six hundred just a small slice of humanity
But a great humane task to fulfill
Join the hunted partridge on the hill

David and Men
Join the hunted partridge on the hill

David
My friends you have given me hope
In my darkest and loneliest hour
Abandoning homes or positions of safety
And comfort and power
As years have gone by we go stronger
No longer with backs to the wall
If only the lion in the path were anyone but Saul

Joab
Saul is now merely a shadow of the man that he was in his prime
Still dogged by the Philistine menace, at war with himself half the time
Distracted, confused, and uncertain, he should not concern us at all

David
If only the lion in the path were anyone but Saul!
Saul! Saul!
I came to your camp as you dreamed and in competent guardians slept
I could have destroyed you in moments but plundered no booty except
Your spear and your water, a trifling, unbloody and merciful haul
If only the lion in the path were anyone but Saul
Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?

Saul
David--is this my son, Davide?
Why spare the life of the man who is all that's preventing you
Claiming the crown that you've craved since I first took you in?
The man who has given Michal to another, tormenting you

David
Michal, Michal, given to another . . .

Saul
Surely you have by now had your fill

David
You gave her to another . . .

Saul
As the hunted partridge on the hill

David I'm the hunted partridge on the hill
Saul As the hunted partridge on the hill

Saul
But then again--how many women do you have now? And children?
And heirs? How is your dynasty?

David
I have a beautiful son to succeed me--Absalom
My Absalom

Saul
To succeed you as what?
Who do you think you are?
What do you think you are?
I do not understand why you did not kill mee--

David
I would not kill you
I could not kill you

Saul
You will regret your arrogance your so-called mercy
You are no longer my son, David!

David
Oh, Michal!
How could you agree
To be given to another?

Michal
Do what you like with me . . .

David
Does no woman see
Whether daughter, mistress, mother--

Michael
What difference could it make?

David
Man is on the run
Every day of his existence?
Every single one
Has to keep a little distance
Tell me what I've done
To deserve your inconsistence
Why you think
I don't have a heart

Joab and Chorus
Hunted like the partridge on the hill

David
Do I have a heart?

Joab and Chorus
Hunted like the partridge on the hill

David
Do I have a heart?

Joab and Chorus
Hunted like the partridge on the

David, Joab and Chorus
Hill

Men
Hunted like a partridge on the

David, Joab, and Chorus
Hunted partridge on the

Men
Hill

David, Joab, and Chorus
Hill

Men
Hunted partridge

All
On the hill

You Have It All

Saul
Saul has slain his thousands and David his ten thousands
Saul has slain his thousands and David his ten thousands

Jonathan
Saul's going mad, because your every move outshines him
He sees the multitude embrace you
His people love you but your triumph undermines him
He loves you too but cannot face you
You're that uncommon thing--a hero
Which gives you all the love you need
And how it must destroy him to concede

This is the time for you
You have it all
You can do anything
You're standing tall
This is your golden age
You will recall
In quieter times than these that you once had it all

Chorus
Saul has slain his thousands
And David his ten thousands

Jonathan
O lucky man!
The world is yours, embracing you
And all you hear are people saying "Yes"

Chorus
Saul has slain his thousands
And David his ten thousands

Jonathan
The pace is hot
The power brokers chasing you
The lesser mortals clamor too
All of this, and glamour too
That's happiness--I guess

David
I love my friend as I love life and both I cherish
Uncompromising and unfailing
I swear this covenant we make will never perish
In any circumstance prevailing

Jonathan
It's very hard when things come easy
You start to fear a bitter end
I promise you, you have a friend

This is the time for you
You have it all
You can do anything
You're standing tall

Jonathan and David
This is our golden age
We will recall
In safer times than these that we once had it all

Jonathan
In better times than these that we once had it all

Saul Has Slain His Thousands

Israelite Women
Saul has slain his thousands and David his ten thousands
One has been our daylight
And one the very sun
Saul has slain his thousands
And David his ten thousands
One has been our daylight
And one the very sun

Saul has slain his thousands and David his ten thousands
One who has served his people well
Whose race is almost run
Saul has slain his thousands and David his ten thousands
One who's made us realize
No battle no prize cannot be won

Joab
In normal times a soldier king would gladly take on board
His people's talk of thousands who have fallen to his sword
But it's not so amusing when
They praise someone younger, then
Multiply their praise by ten
It's getting hard at court
To know whom to support

Chorus
Saul has slain his thousands and David his ten thousands
Philistines are scattered
A spent and broken crew
Saul has slain his thousands and David his ten thousands
Sing as the corpse of proud Goliath
Molders in its stew
Saul has slain his thousands and David his ten thousands
Widely are their stories told
But one story's old
The other's new
Saul has slain his thousands and David his ten thousands
One has been our daylight
And one the very sun
Saul has slain his thousands and David his ten thousands
One who has served his people well
Whose race is almost run
Saul has slain his thousands and David his ten thousands
One who's made us realize
No battle no prize cannot be won
Saul has slain his thousands . . .
David, David . . .
One who's made us realize
No battle no prize cannot be won

Goliath of Gath

Philistines
Goliath of Gath!
Goliath of Gath!

Goliath
Am I a dog that you should wave a stick?
See how the folly of Israel increases
I'll hack off your head, your arms, your legs, your prick
Leaving the bloody festering pieces
To fowls of the air

Philistines
Goliath of Gath!

Goliath
To beasts of the field

Philistines
Goliath of Gath!

David
You can hide yourself behind metal
With a javelin, a sword, a coward's shield
But the armor of the godless has to yield to God

I have never yet killed
Any man on this earth
Can imagine no cause
To be worth such a terrible measure

But the blood never spilled
And the deaths never seen
In my innocent past do not mean
That if I am the one
Through whom God's will is done that I
Shall not kill, and with pleasure

Here lies the dog that missed a fatal trick
Thus is the folly of Israel refuted
This is the head of the slaughtered heretic
Slimy and severed and perfectly suited

To fowls of the air

Israelites
Goliath of Gath!

David
To beasts of the field

Israelites
Goliath of Gath!

Joab
And two armies were still as they took in the sight
Of destruction, of death and delight
One elated, one shattered

Joab and Israelites
Then from high on a hill
Came a thunderous roar
And the Israelites started to pour
In unstoppable waves
Over Philistine graves-to-be
And the enemy scattered

Saul has chosen well
David our redeemer
Who'd have ever thought Goliath could be slain?

Joab
You can never tell
David did not seem a
Man of such potential but he used his brain

Joab and Israelites
David and King Saul!
Hero and supporter
As a team they fought a very great campaign
Finally we've paid for
(Goliath of Gath!)
all the years of pain
(Goliath of Gath!)

Goliath of Gath!

Psalm 8

David
Lord how Your name shines in glory
In and above all the earth
Out of the mouths of
Mere babes, very sucklings
Your strength will flow,
Thus we grow
Confounding your enemies
Right from our moment of birth.

When I consider Your heavens,
The universe You have ordained
Why would creation of man be of
Any concern to You?
Only through
Love can this be understood
And through mercy explained

And man is made no small thing,
And whether slave or king
He is with honor crowned by God
He is allowed control and command of the whole
Of the works of Your hand, Lord

Lord how your name shines in glory
In and above all the earth
Human afflictions
And petty distractions
We must ignore
Rage no more
Peace comes to those who believe
God has faith in their worth

The Enemy Within

Saul
The terrors of the field
The horrors of the battle
The ruthless and the bloody sword
All these I can allow
They almost seem like friends
And death a gentle rattle
The enemy within
Is all I'm fighting now

The father's last good-bye
The lover's first deception
The child who loses innocence
The hungry mouths dismissed
All these we learn to give
A casual reception
The enemy within
Is harder to resist

No form, no shape, no light
The enemy is hidden
I have no will to fight
Yet surrender is forbidden
The dogs are on the run
Their venom ever nearer
And every moment clearer
That their will be done

My crime is unexplained
So cannot be defended
The judge and executioner
Close in upon the throne
There are no outward signs
The majesty is ended
The enemy within
Has come to claim his own

Samuel Anoints David

Samuel
Vayomer Adonai: "Koom m'shacheihu ki-zeh hu"

Samuel and Men
And the Lord said to me this is he
Thou shalt anoint him

Samuel
Vayomer Adonai: "Koom m'shacheihu ki-zeh hu"

Samuel and Chorus
Vayomer Adonai: "Koom m'shacheihu ki-zeh hu"

David
Could you explain what you've done?
Oh, I know it's a serious thing

Samuel
Serious? Very
All in good time there'll be mountains to move
There'll be battles to fight
Bodies to bury

Don't hurry to change your life
Stay on the hill and plain
Turn to your flock again--back to the field
God has a plan for you
And I have some ideas too
All in good time His word will be revealed

David
I'm taking it as it comes
And watching it as it goes . . .

Samuel
Perfect . . .

Israel and Saul

Israelites
Saul . . .
Saul . . .

Israel and Saul
What a combination
Samuel a relic from a dreadful past
Saul will bring us peace
Power and elation
All we ever needed was a change of cast
Now we have a king
Now we are competing
Enemies retreating; we are free at last

Samuel
"Make them a king!
Calm their hysteria!"
Thus said the Lord and I obeyed His call
Now see them cling
To someone so inferior
Mad, capricious
Sad, ambitious
Saul!

Israelite Women
Saul is our defense!
Glorious, resplendent
Savior of a people who have been betrayed

Israelites
Kings ar emaking sense
Israel ascendant
Holy men have failed us at the barricade
Let us praise our king
Practical, pragmatic
Victories emphatic now the change is made

Saul
We were oppressed
Failed by theocracy
Failed by its prophets who had lost their nerve
Now they protest
Oh, such hypocrisy
If allowed to
I am proud to serve

Israelites
Saul is in his pomp!
Saul is our redeemer!
Saul has brought his people back to life again
Glory as we swamp
Every vile blasphemer
Every single enemy we hold profane
Glory to King Saul!
All we every prayed for
Finally we've paid for all the years of pain

Israelites & Saul
Finally we've paid for all the years of pain

Absalom, My Absalom

David
Tell mee, Absalom, what is it in me
That made you turn against your father's heart?
My sweet Absalom, could you never see
Your blind impatience drove us far apart?
For you were cureler than you knew
To one who worshiped you
Murdered by your pride and Joab's dart

Tell me, Absalom, where should I turn now
With you run through, decaying in a snare?
My proud Absalom trussed up in that bough
Only through your beauty were you there
Yes, How ironic your demise
You would yourself despise
One who died because of flowing hair

Absalom, my son
Would that I had died for you
Laid my life aside for you
And my kingdom too
What is done is done
If a father's love has failed
To prevail upon an errant son
Then there cannot be a love that could
Ten there cannot be a force for good
Absalom, my Absalom, my son
Absalom, my Absalom, my son

Tell me, Absalom is it always thus?
Can no man be a hero to his child?
My sweet Absalom when I think of us
Now forever lost, unreconciled
I try to roll away the years
The envy disappears
The infant and the parent undefiled

Absalom, my Absalom, my son
Absalom, my Absalom, my son
Absalom, my Absalom, my son

The Long, Long Day/This New Jerusalem

David
The long, long day is slipping into sunset
The laughter of the young a foreign sound
The splendor of the earth less captivating
I am waiting

The voices that I hear are too respectful
The arguments a little too profound
I only want a gentle hand to stay me
As they lay me in the ground

And yet I'm not afraid
A kind of peace is made
Forgiven, I am happy to be called

Everything I've done I now rejoice in
Everyone I've loved I love once more
Would there had been many more diversions
To beg forgiveness for

It's only in the wake
Of evening that we make
Some sense and see the beauty of the day
And when the darkness falls
The thought that gets us by
Is knowing that we do not need
To know God's reason why

Solomon
I am the blood of Abraham
The seed of an immortal line
Whose life was given to his God
Whose promise to his God is mine
And to this new Jerusalem
Our fathers come at last

Bathsheba and Michal
The sons of Jacob live again

All
The glories of our sacred past
Jerusalem, Jerusalem
Though palaces may rise
Within your walls,
Your dust, your stones
Are prize enough
For these contended
Eyes

Warm Spring Night

David
Who or what is keeping
Half the world from sleeping
Me for one
Night oppressive stealing
Through my body, feeling
Hot as sun
Well I think I might
Taste the warm spring night

And the moon was high and you
Never knew that I was there
There was nothing I could do
Even if you'd been aware
I could never close my eyes
Nor disguise
Feelings you excite
On a warm spring night

Naked woman turning
This way, that way burning
Through my soul
Twisting beauty shining
Every move defining
Your control

I don't want to fight
On a warm spring night
And whoever now appears
In my life, I've seen it all
if I live a thousand years

You're the one I will recall
And I want to take you now
Anyhow
Whether wrong or right
On a warm spring night
On this warm spring night

Never Again

Michal
Home is the hunter, high flown and contended
Home is my lover, all sins were repented
Noble intentions, words oh so fine
Never again will you let me down,
Never again will I pine,
Never again will you call yourself mine.

Why did you change so? No real explanation
Still unaware of my humiliation
Calmly expecting life to go on
Never again will I be ashamed,
Never again put upon,
Never again will I turn and you're gone.

I'd give my life to believe nothing has happened.
I'd give my heart to the man I once knew.

Oh how you loved me: Strong, passionate, gentle!
Now you perceive me all but incidental,
Words count for nothing, only for show
Never again will I suffer this,
Never again fall so low,
Never again, but there's one thing I know

Never again, Never again
Never again will I love a man so.

How are the Mighty Fallen?

David
The beauty and glory of Israel
Are senselessly slain, are surely destroyed
Cut down in the mountains, the noblest of evils
The sword far too swiftly employed
How are the mighty fallen?
How are the mighty fallen?

The many who persecute Israel
Must never rejoice, take heart, must not earn
One fragment of comfort from knowing the lions
Have stumbled and will not return.

And may the very mountains and fields close over
The rusting weapons of war...

Daughters of saturnine Israel
Weep for the king who colored your lives
In gold and in scarlet, and weep for his children
Jonathon... Jonathon...
Who loved me more bravely than you, whether harlots or wives!

How are the mighty fallen?
How are the mighty fallen?

When In Love

Bathsheba
We make our promises of love without a thought
That infidelity will ever touch our lives
And then the everyday procession
Ensures no certainty survives
And all too soon
We change our tune
We don't remember

For when in love
There's nothing I won't do
Since I've been close to you
To bring me closer still
I once believed
I never would betray
The man I used to love
And honor and obey
Will I do
Anything?
Yes, I will

You make a mockery of how I lived before
You are by far the purest love I've ever known
By far the best, most overwhelming
The die is cast the birds have flown
Defenses fall
You have it all
You've changed my life

For when in love
There's nothing I won't do
Since I've been close to you
To bring me closer still
I once believed
I never would betray
The man I used to love
And honor and obey
Will I do anything?
Yes, I will
I already have
There's nothing I won't do...

Sheer Perfection

Michal
I do not come to you reluctant or protesting
I'm not a trophy as so many are suggesting
I give myself because I choose to
Could walk out but I refuse to
I wanted you before your triumph
I wanted you in simple ways
But I'll accept you in your glory days

You're all I'll ever want
You have my innocence

David
There's more than beauty here
There's more than innocence
She knows exactly what she's doing
I'll take her on her terms
She has the confidence
To stand aside and be amused by those pursuing
She already knows what's in my heart
Knows just how to set herself apart

She believes she knows it all
Who am I to contradict her?
She makes all the rules
Men are merely fools
If we think we run the game
Sheer perfection is to blame

But I'm so much in love
I need to make it last
Be in no hurry to impress her
I'd throw it all away
If I should move to fast
I'd never touch her heart, let alone possess her
She may say she wants me but I know
Words are only words, they come and go

She is all I hope I'll need
From this day until forever
Nothing more nor less
All my restlessness
All my selfishness and pride
Disappears as I decide
I shall never be denied
Sheer perfection at my side

The Caravan Moves On

Joab
You must cut Absalom down--

Absalom
There is a time for alteration
There is a time to grow
Dreaming becomes an obligation
To overthrow
The status quo
Though the son may love his father
Father love his son
Nothing should stop them both from knowing
When the father's work is done

David
I shall never be free of the despair my children cause me
Death--rebellion
Endless punishment from a God who never speaks to me

Joab
Oh but He does
Look what He's given you
Never in our history has one man ruled an empire
He's even given you and Bathsheba a second son--
Solomon--I call that speaking to you!

David
I sometimes feel I have achieved what I have
Despite God!
I have only heard Him through others--Samuel--Saul
And have they always told the truth?
And now my beloved Absalom has turned against me

Absalom, my son
Is God speaking to him?

Absalom
Time to turn the pages
Time to turn the screw

Men
The heroes down the ages
Are simply passing through
Triumphs of the mighty
In an instant gone
The caravan moves on...

Joab
He's been corrupted, fooled by others that his time is now

David
I am not finished yet!
I'm still Israel's future

Joab
Then you must cut Absalom down.
Now.

David
How could any man persuade me
To destroy my son?
Even if that son betrayed me
O foolish one
What have you done?

Joab
Think of those who gave you Israel
Loved you, fought your wars

David
I needed love from him--

Joab
--forget it!
You must crush his futile cause.
Weaken, and your nation's finished.

David
Joab, do what you must do
End this insurrection now--but--
Spare his life, I beg of you!

Men
Even the greatest slip from favor
Even the best decays
Why are they not content to savor
Former praise
Glory days?

Absalom
Why does a man give life to children
If he will not give
Anything more than false affection
Any further cause to live

Men
Time for an admission
The king as good as dead
The height of his ambition

Absalom
Should be to die in bed!

Men
Feverish, corrosive
The fickle crowds are gone
The caravan moves on...

(Line repeated by Ghost of Samuel, Ghost of Saul, David, Absalom, then again)

Men
Time to turn the pages
Time to turn the screw
The tyrants down the ages
Are simply passing through
No one's good or evil

When they're dead and
When they're gone
The caravan moves on

The caravan moves, caravan moves, caravan moves... caravan moves on...

(Absalom screaming...)

Joab
I m u s t c u t A b s a l o m d o w n !