Purim 2009 Rock 'n Roll Service Lyrics
Below are the lyrics I re-wrote for the rock 'n roll classic songs we performed in our 2009 Purim Service at Beth El of Manhattan. All the lyrics re-writes are copyrighted [©2009 Bruce L. Cohen], and may only be used for performance with written permission and attribution. For use for personal fun, of course ... be my guest. :-) Downloadable video of the performances is available on our website in the Audio/Video Archive under the "Learn More/Resources" heading. Eventually, all the songs will be mounted. Enjoy. If you have seen any of the video clips on my Facebook page or on YouTube ... you already know we had a real blast, and an amazing worship time. Rabbi Bruce Cohen, 13 March 2009
Sweet Home, Land of Israel
(Sweet Home Alabama)
Music: Lynyrd Skynyrd – Lyrics ©Bruce L. Cohen
HaShem keeps us returnin'
From every land to our own 'kin.
Singin' songs about our Homeland,
I'm Jewish family once again, you feel it the same!
I've heard Hamas rage about her,
Heard Hizb'allah put her down.
Well, I hope the they will remember,
The Jewish Land don't need 'em around - no we don't.
Sweet Home, Land of Israel!
Where it's cool to be a Jew!
Sweet Home, Land of Israel,
We're all comin' home to you!
In Bethlehem was born our Governor (ooh, ooh, ooh),
And we know what He came to do!
He brought atonement for our nation,
And every other nation, too -sing it again!
Sweet Home, Land of Israel!
Where it's cool to be a Jew!
Sweet Home, Land of Israel,
We're all comin' home to you!
Sweet Homeland of Messiah!
Every Gentile, every Jew!
Sweet Homeland of Messiah!
You know He's comin' home to you!
In Fact It's A Fact
(Jumpin' Jack Flash)
Music: The Rolling Stones – Lyrics ©Bruce L. Cohen
He was born, in the town of Bethlehem,
But was raised in the town of Nazareth!
And it's alright - in fact it's a fact!
We'll it's alright - Messiah has come, its a fact, fact, fact!
He went 'round, doin' what Messiah'd do!
And he died, as the Prophets foretold, too!
And he rose, from a guarded, shrouded grave!
Now we live, through the gift Messiah gave!
And it's alright - - in fact it's a fact!
We'll it's alright - Messiah has come, its a fact, fact, fact!
Brown Leather
(Brown Sugar)
Music: The Rolling Stones – Lyrics ©Bruce L. Cohen
Gold embossing on the sides of each page,
Red letters where Messiah takes the stage,
Sixty-six books in there to change our lives,
Your shoulda heard us - studying ‘til midnight!
Blood atones for every sinful spot,
Messiah could whenever we could not,
Now we have a Guide takin' us toward what's right,
You shoulda heard us - studyin' til midnight!
Brown Leather!
Why is the Bible so good?
Yeah, yeah, yeah, WOOOH!
Why are devotions so good?
[ Yeah, yeah, yeah, WOOOH! ]
SAVIOR
(Layla)
Music: Eric Clapton – Lyrics ©Bruce L. Cohen
Whattya do when you're feeling sinful?
Broken and torn apart inside?
What'll ya do, when your empty through and through?
You know it's just your foolish pride!
[CHORUS] Savior! He's got you on your knees!
Savior! The truth'll set you free!
Savior! Darlin' won't you easy your weary mind?
Can't you feel His consolation?
Haven't you felt Him by your side?
Callin' to you, to do what's right to do,
And let His Spirit be your Guide!
[CHORUS]
TRUTH
(Smooth)
Music: Carlos Santana & Rob Thomas – Lyrics ©Bruce L. Cohen
We'll He's the Right One,
King David's heir sent from the Holy One,
You know He's whispering the words
That people crave for spiritual food!
Brother or sister;
Child, man, or woman, "Miss" or "Mister,"
You know there isn't any man, woman, or child
That doesn't need what He's got to give!
[CHORUS] Oh, its just like the ocean under the Sun,
You know the light lets everything be known by everyone
He's got the kind of love
That melts a heart of pure stone -
So now, give Him your heart, make it real - or else forget about it!
Oh, its the right thing,
To let the truth take over everything.
To let the One who made the world
Rule in your heart - it is so cool.
He is the One God;
And Yeshua is His only Son;
Messiah first to save the world
and only then - later to rule in truth and love!
[CHORUS]
YONI B TOV
(Johnny B. Goode)
Music: Chuck Berry – Lyrics ©Bruce L. Cohen
Way down around the Negev by the Sea of Salt,
There lived a man named Yoni in a camel coat,
He lived a righteous life beside a water well,
He dunked the sinners there
And brought them back from Hell,
He had a job to do, he had a story to tell,
Preparing for Messiah like he's ringin' a bell -
[CHORUS] Oh go! Go, Yoni, go, go,go!
Go, Yoni, go, go,go!
Go, Yoni, go, go,go!
Go, Yoni, go, go,go! Yoni be tov!
One day he saw Messiah come to be immersed,
Now this was an event that he had not rehearsed.
Yeshua said to Yochanon, "Yoni be good.
Let's do this stuff the way The Father says we should."
So Yoni let Messiah be immersed that day,
‘Cause when He says it, “Do it!” baby, that’s the way to …
[CHORUS]
So listen all you sinners and religious folk,
Repentance and atonement aren't some old joke;
You know you're gonna face a holy G-d one day,
And when your sins are in your face what will you say?
You know you didn't do the things you knew you should!
Repent and be immersed just like He says you should!
[CHORUS]
STILL NEW AGE TALK TO ME
(Still Rock n'Roll To Me) Music: Billy Joel – Lyrics ©Bruce L. Cohen
What's the matter with the faith I'm walkin'?
Don't you know that the path's too wide?
I could really be an enlightened person,
Welcome back to your same ol’ jive.
Don't you know I've had some cool revelation?
Don't you know your thoughts have got no foundation?
All paths lead to God, so say you: it's still New Age Talk to me.
What's the matter with the Course in Miracles?
Says no such thing as sin.
What's the matter with the Bhagavad Gita?
Says we all go around again.
These ideas have got no proof of inspiriation;
To speak for God you need some authentication:
One God, One Path, you do the math - no New Age talk for me!
[BRIDGE] It doesn't matter what they say on Oprah
'Cause it's always been the same old scene:
There's a new thought in town,
And it starts to make the 'rounds
But you stay exactly what you've been:
Stay exactly what you've been … oooh.
What's the deal with all the Scripture quotin'
Well there's proof it's more than good ideas;
What's the deal with all the prayers you've been prayin',
Heaven answers and God interferes -
With all the junk that life can toss at a person
It's good to know what to do and to be certain:
Foretold, from old, proof of what's sold,
No New Age Talk for me.
Everybody's talkin' bout their self-help guru,
But it’s still New Age Talk to me.
SURE WAY TO HEAVEN
(Stairway To Heaven)
Music: Led Zeppelin – Lyrics ©Bruce L. Cohen
There are people who’re sure all that’s certain’s what’s old:
And they trust it’s a sure way to heaven.
From a parent, from a book, from their own brief take look,
They trust theirs is a sure road to heaven.
Oooh – they trust theirs is a sure way to heaven.
There are signs things are wrong - acts of harm all along
That show some ways are not ways to heaven.
And some people ignore proof that stands right before
Them and shows they’re not headed for heaven.
Oooh. – And not all ways are right ways to heaven.
God will whisper the tune every midnight to noon,
And invite us to meet him with reason.
And a new day will dawn, for those who stand strong,
And will follow the truth in all seasons.
Oooooooh - and it makes me wonder.
If truth derails you for a season, don’t you be alarmed now:
It’s just a spring clean for real thing.
And there were two paths you could go by,
Really just one: and God has set you on the road you’re on!
And as we wind on down the road,
No shadows hindering our souls;
There walks a Shepherd we all know;
Who shines white light and wants to show,
How to walk right from young to old;
And if you listen very hard;
Your life will fulfill the Shema!
For God is One, that One is All.
His rock, Messiah, will not roll!
And Yeshua is the sure way … to heaven.
ETERNAL LIFE
(Time of Your Life)
Music: Green Day – Lyrics ©Bruce L. Cohen
Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road,
You only have so much
And then run out of road.
You've had the time
To ask where and when and why.
Not to decide is to decide not to decide.
It's something unavoidable
You need to choose what’s right.
I hope your choice leads to Eternal Life.
So take philosophy and random drifts of mind;
Add in your influences and hopes for good times,
Where will they lead and in the end what will they bring?
When all is said and done,
You'll know you've done your thing.
It's something unavoidable
You need to choose what’s right.
I hope your choice leads to Eternal Life.
There’s more to every choice than what
we hear or see.
There’s more to every deed than
Whether we feel free.
The things and people in your life are for a time;
Through what you’ve chosen, it’s your heart that’s been defined.
It's something unavoidable
You need to choose what’s right.
I hope your choice leads to Eternal Life.
It's something unpredictable
If you’ll choose what is right:
Yeshua leads you to Eternal Life.
DEVOTIONS WAIT FOR YOU
(Vienna)
Music: Billy Joel – Lyrics ©Bruce L. Cohen
Slow down you crazy child
You're so ambitious, like a juvenile
But then if you're so smart
Tell me why are you are still so afraid?
Where's the fire, what's the hurry about?
You better cool it off before you burn it out
You got so much to do
And only so many hours in a day.
But you know that when the truth is told
That you can do what you should, or you can just get old
You need to know The Word
And you know you’re barely half-way through – ooh.
When will you realize … Devotions wait for you?
Slow down you're doing fine,
You can't be everything you want to be
Before your time,
Although it's so romantic on the borderline tonight.
Too bad but it's the life you lead
You got away from the L-rd
and you forgot what you need
Now you can't see when you're wrong,
and you can't even see when you're right: when you're right!
You've got your passion, you've got your pride
But don't you know your own ways won’t leave you satisfied?
Dream on, but don't imagine dreams will all come true
When will you realize Devotions wait for you?
Slow down you crazy child
Take the phone off the hook and disappear for a while
It's alright The Word deserves from you an hour or two - ooh.
When will you realize... Devotions wait for you?
MAYBE I'M AMAZED
Music & Lyrics: ©Paul McCartney
Baby, I'm amazed at the way you love me all the time,
and maybe I'm afraid of the way I love you.
Maybe i'm amazed at the way you pulled me out of time,
You hung me on the line.
Maybe i'm amazed at the way I really need you.
Baby, i'm a man, maybe I'm a lonely man
Who's in the middle of something
That he doesn't really understand.
Baby, I'm a man,
And maybe you're the only woman who could ever help me.
Baby, won't you help me to understand?
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh.
[Riff] oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
oh, oh, oh,
oh, oh, oh, oh, oh.
Baby, i'm a man, maybe I'm a lonely man
Who's in the middle of something
That he doesn't really understand.
Baby, I'm a man,
And maybe you're the only woman who could ever help me.
Baby, won't you help me to understand?
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh.
Maybe I'm amazed at the way you're with me all the time,
Maybe I'm afraid of the way I leave you.
Maybe I'm amazed at the way you help me sing my song,
Right me when I'm wrong -
Maybe I'm amazed at the way I really need you.
[Riff] Oh …
NEW YORK STATE OF MIND
Music & Lyrics: Billy Joel
Some folks like to get away
Take a holiday from the neighborhood
Hop a flight to Miami Beach, or to Hollywood
But I'm talking a Greyhound on the Hudson River Line
I'm in a New York state of mind
I've seen all the movie stars
In their fancy cars and their limousines
Been high in the Rockies under the evergreens
But I know what I'm needing
And I don't want to waste more time
I'm in a New York state of mind
It was so easy living day by day
Out of touch with the rhythm and blues
But now I need a little give and take
The New York Times, The Daily News
It comes down to reality
And it's fine with me 'cause I've let it slide
Don't care if it's Chinatown or on Riverside
I don't have any reasons, I've left them all behind
I'm in a New York state of mind
It was so easy living day by day
Out of touch with the rhythm and blues
But now I need a little give and take
The New York Times, The Daily News
It comes down to reality
And it's fine with me 'cause I've let it slide
Don't care if it's Chinatown or on Riverside
I don't have any reasons
I've left them all behind. I'm in a New York state of mind
I'm just taking a Greyhound on the Hudson River Line
'Cause I'm in a New York state of mind.
YOU ARE HE
(Let It Be)
Music: The Beatles – Lyrics ©Bruce L. Cohen
When I opened my heart to Messiah,
Adonai gave truth to me.
There is now an answer - You are He.
And in my hours of darkness, You’ve been standing there right next to me,
Speaking words of Wisdom, You are He.
You are He, You Are He, You Are He, You Are He.
Whispered words of Wisdom, You Are He.
And how were broken-hearted people throughout Yis-ra-el set free? There had been an answer, You are He.
And when your opened grave was empty, and You alive your friends could see,
We knew our Redeemer - You Are He … He – eeee!
You are He, You Are He, You Are He, You Are He.
You are our Messiah, You Are He.
And when the truth is cloudy there is still a light that shines on me: shines into tomorrow: You Ares He.
I wake up to the sound of music,
In My Spirit worshiping,
God said in His wisdom, You are He – eeee!
You are He, You Are He, You Are He, You Are He.
Yeshua our Messiah, You Are He.