The Man Who Called Himself Jesus Lyrics - Strawbs - Strawbs

He came into the shop and looked me straight between the eyes 

And said "You know I'm Jesus", and I must have looked surprised 

Because he said "Please don't be hasty, no-one understands 

But I've got a way to prove it" and he lifted up his hands. 

He was the man who called himself Jesus. 

For a minute I was speechless, then I looked into his face 

With sufficient lines of sadness for the total human race 

And I said "You must be joking" but he slowly shook his head 

And said "That's what they all say, I might as well be dead". 

He asked me if I knew a place where he could start to preach 

I said "Well try a church or maybe Brighton beach" 

And I was trying to be serious but he didn't seem impressed 

He said "You think I'm crazy, you're just like all the rest". 

I was really quite embarrassed, he was looking so sincere 

So I said "I close the shop soon, won't you come and have a 

beer" 

Then he asked me if I meant it and he smiled a funny smile 

And he said he'd rather like that and he hung arounds a while. 

On the way he stopped to pat little children's heads 

And he taught them one line prayers to say as they went off to their beds 

But mostly they were frightened and they looked at him wide eyed 

And when he said his name was Jesus, one girl even cried. 

In the pub I asked him if he'd tried to see the Pope 

And he said although he'd thought about it there was really not a hope 

Then he said he thought he'd better go, he had some work to do 

He said he'd come and see me in about a week or two. 

Well after he had gone I thought of what he'd said 

And all his funny actions they kept running through my head 

And when I felt my mind was drowning in a sea of mud 

It seemed his pint of beer had turned into a pint of blood