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

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

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 . . .

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

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 !