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
Hunted Partridge on the Hill
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!
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 !