Jesus The Missing Years Lyrics - Live On Tour - John Prine

(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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