Anticipating Sunday: Hip Hop Herod

 

Hip Hop Herod and John the Baptist’s Head

This is the story of a king called Herod

Who married a lady called Herodias

She was the wife of his brother, Philip.

But he really did like Ms. Herodias.

 

Now you all know who-was John the Baptist.

You know that he lived to a really strict plan.

Well John didn’t tolerate any old nonsense,

And he told Herod “You’re a very bad man.”

 

He said to Herod, “You really shouldn’t marry,

That woman who is your brother’s wife.

You know that it makes you into an adulterer; 

It’s going to mess up the whole of your life.”

 

Well, Herod was the king, and didn’t like back-chat

So he threw John right into his jail.

He locked him up in a cold, dark dungeon

With dreadful rations and no hope of bail.

 

But Herod kept going to talk to the Baptist.

He found that John had words for his heart.

It touched King Herod deep down inside him, 

And made him want to keep John apart.

 

Along came a party that Herod threw for everyone – 

All the people of fortune and fame.

Herodias had a daughter, and she was quite something,

And dancing through the banquet hall she came.

 

Now the daughter was a babe with a real cute body,

And she wiggled that body all over the place.

And you could tell how much King Herod liked to see her

By the really silly look all over his face.

 

He said to the girl, in front of all his company,

“What would you like, for dancing so nice?

You can have anything – the people here are witnesses –

Just-say what you want, and name your price!”

 

The daughter went off to talk to Herodias – 

A lady who was filled with a lot of spite.

She said, “The king wants to give me something,

What can I ask for that would be just right?”

 

Herodias said, with a mean little giggle, 

“Now-I can get even with someone I hate!

You-can tell Herod that the thing you’ll ask for

Is the head of John the Baptist sitting right on a plate!”

 

So the girl went back to see old Herod,

And-said the head of John was what she would take.

And Herod was in a right tough predicament

Because he’d made a promise that he really couldn’t break.

 

The king went pale as he came to his senses,

But he couldn’t find a way to get out of his fate.

So he sent his executioner down to the dungeon

With a short, sharp sword and very big plate.

 

Down in the prison, the Baptist saw it coming.

He knew that the time for his life was running out.

The executioner only took a minute 

To remove John’s head with a clean, clear clout.

 

Up to the banquet went the executioner,

Carrying his plate with John’s cold head.

He put it on the table in front of the daughter,

Whose mother smiled and gloated that her enemy was dead. 

 

The followers of John found out what had happened,

And went to see Herod to talk for a while.

And Herod was so embarrassed by his actions.

That he let them have the body to bury in style.

 

Well Herod’s now an evil man for doing such a bad thing

But you really have to wonder what else he could have done.

We all make promises and some of them are rash ones,

So that someone else suffers for our bit of fun.

 

So ask yourself, when you want something badly,

What you’re going to promise to get your own way.

And then think of Herod, and the head of John the Baptist,

And stop and think – who’s really going to pay? 

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