Lyrics
Jesus came to Earth today smack dab into Tennessee
Jesus arrives on Earth in Tennessee
Knocked upon my front door said, "Hey Will, remember me?"
Jesus greets Will and asks if he remembers him
I said, "Oh Lord please forgive me, but I ain't real good with names, but your face looks real familiar. Wait a second, uh, is it James?"
Will struggles to recognize Jesus, suggests the name James
And he said, "No, no, no"
Jesus corrects Will's guess
He said, "It's Jesus, you know the son of God" and I didn't realise
Jesus explains his identity as the son of God
I said, "Man, I'm sure sorry" and invited him inside
Will apologizes and invites Jesus inside
Offered him a sandwich cause he was looking awful thin
Will offers Jesus a sandwich
And then I went and got nervous and I said, "So Jesus, where you been?"
Will nervously asks Jesus about his whereabouts
And he said "Heaven Will, I've been in heaven"
Jesus mentions he has been in heaven
And then I saw him looking at a picture from my wedding day
Jesus observes a photo from Will's wedding
Of my wife and me and our one year old son
Photo includes Will's wife and one-year-old son
I said, "I guess that's not OK?"
Will questions if it's acceptable
He said "The truth is all I care about is that you love and take care of your kids.
Jesus emphasizes the importance of loving and caring for children
Remember I was born out of wedlock too, though some folks soon forget. They'd soon forget."
Jesus shares that he was born out of wedlock
We just sat there talking, watching the TV news
Will and Jesus watch TV news
I asked him "Fox or CNN?"
Will asks Jesus about his news preference (Fox or CNN)
He said, "Will, I prefer the truth."
Jesus prefers the truth (PBS)
I said, "PBS, OK my friend" and we both had a laugh
They share a laugh but become somber due to news content
But with the stories they kept showing he started looking pretty sad
News depicts war, death, hatred, poverty, and greed
It was all war and death and hatred, poverty and greed
Jesus is troubled by the actions of rich folks and politicians
He said "The rich folks and politicians are sure starting to get to me. What part of love your neighbor is so hard to understand?"
Jesus questions the difficulty in understanding "love your neighbor"
I said " Don't take it too hard Jesus, let's just take a drive my man. Take a drive my man"
Will suggests taking a drive to ease Jesus's feelings
Hopped into my old Ford and went out for a spin
They take a drive in Will's old Ford
Drove past a military funeral where we saw these angry men
They encounter an angry protest at a military funeral
With signs that said that "God hates fags", Jesus said "Let me out"
Protesters display offensive signs; Jesus wants to leave
Walked up to them all calm and cool and I heard one man shout, "Get out of here, you goddamn hippy, I can't wait for you to die."
Protesters insult Jesus; he responds with a smile
And Jesus said " I already did" and smiled and waved goodbye
Jesus corrects them, stating he already died
Got in and said "Daddy doesn't hate nobody, that's an awful thing to say. Plus Daddy knows what he's doing. He's the one that made them gay."
Will defends Jesus, explaining God's love and creation
God made them gay.
Reiteration that God made everyone
I went back to driving and then I saw him shed a tear
Jesus sheds a tear witnessing humanity's struggles
He said "Y'all sure have made a mess of all the things that we gave you down here. All this war and global warming, no help to the sick and the poor. I guess Daddy and I should just pull the plug, y'all ain't worth it anymore."
Jesus expresses disappointment in humanity's actions
I said, "Woah Jesus, Jesus take it easy. I gotta pick my two sons up at three and if it's going to be Armageddon I think I like to have them here with me."
Will pleads with Jesus to spare his sons
He said "OK then let's go get 'em" and then we turned up the radio
They decide to pick up Will's sons and turn up the radio
And we sang along to old Merle Haggard songs as we rode on down the road.
They sing along to Merle Haggard songs
"Mama tried"
Lyrics from "Mama Tried" by Merle Haggard
Oh, "Mama tried"
-Pulled up to the playground and Jesus said "Look-ey there."
They arrive at a playground with diverse children playing
All the kids were running 'round laughing, there was smiles everywhere.
Jesus notes the joy and diversity among the children
The white, the black, the Chinese, the short, the fat, the tall.
Jesus appreciates the inclusivity among different groups
Christians, Muslims, Jews and Atheists having themselves a ball.
Children of various backgrounds enjoying together
Jesus smiled and said "Well, maybe there's hope for you folks yet. Learn a lesson from your children and try not to forget. And I'll call off this Doomsday, end of the world and I can go back home. It gets wild when I leave Daddy and John Lennon up there all alone."
Jesus sees hope in humanity learning from children's unity
Oh yeah
Expression of agreement or affirmation
I said "OK Jesus, thanks for hanging. See you another time."
Will thanks Jesus and expects to see him again
And just like that he was gone and everything seemed fine.
Jesus disappears, and everything seems fine
I yelled, "One more thing Jesus, could you help me write some hits?"
Will humorously asks for help writing hits
And in a big voice he said that "I will, if you quit writing songs like this."
Jesus agrees to help if Will writes different songs
Amen
Final line expressing agreement or affirmation
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