Roy Bailey and Leon Rosselson - Stand Up For Judas

From the 1977 Album Love, Loneliness and Laundry. Written by Leon, sung by Roy, with Firoz Shapur and Martin Carthy providing the music.

The Romans were the masters when Jesus walked the land
In Judea and in Galilee they ruled with an iron hand
And the poor were sick with hunger and the rich were clothed in splendour
And the rebels whipped and crucified hung rotting as a warning
And Jesus knew the answer
Said give to Caesar what is Caesar's, said love your enemies
But Judas was a Zealot and he wanted to be free
Resist, he said, the Romans' tyranny

Chorus:

So stand up, stand up for Judas, and the cause that Judas served
It was Jesus who betrayed the poor with his words

Jesus was a conjuror, miracles were his game
And he fed the hungry thousands and they glorified his name
He cured the lame and the lepers, he calmed the wind and the weather
And the wretched flocked to touch him so their troubles would be taken
And Jesus knew the answer
All you who labour, all you who suffer only believe in me
But Judas sought a world where no one starved or begged for bread
The poor are always with us, Jesus said

Chorus

Now Jesus brought division where none had been before
Not the slaves against their masters but the poor against the poor
Set son to rise up against father, and brother to fight against brother
For he that is not with me is against me, was his teaching
Said Jesus, I am the answer
You unbelievers shall burn forever, shall die in your sins
Not sheep and goats, said Judas, but together we may dare
Shake off the chains of misery we share

Chorus

Jesus stood upon the mountain with a distance in his eyes
I am the way, the life, he cried, the light that never dies
So renounce all earthly treasures and pray to your heavenly father
And he pacified the hopeless with the hope of life eternal
Said Jesus, I am the answer
And you who hunger only remember your reward's in Heaven
So Jesus preached the other world but Judas wanted this
And he betrayed his master with a kiss

Chorus

By sword and gun and crucifix Christ's gospel has been spread
And 2.000 cruel years have shown the way that Jesus led
The heretics burned and tortured, and the butchering, bloody crusaders
The bombs and rockets sanctified that rain down death from heaven
They followed Jesus, they knew the answer
All non-believers must be believers or else be broken
So put no trust in Saviours, Judas said
For everyone must be to his or her own self a sun

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Leon
• Rosselson
• Roy
• Bailey
• Stand
• Up
• For
• Judas
• Dick
• Gaughan
• secular
• agnostic
• secularism
• agnosticism
• historical
• Jesus
• Christianity
• Iscariot
• Harvey
• Keitel
• Last
• Temptation
• of
• Christ
• Martin
• Carthy
• Firoz
• Shapur

[KennBurch]

The vocal on this is actually performed by Leon's longtime musical collaborator Roy Bailey.

[barcelona36]

Yeah, my mistake, now rectified. Cheers!

[cedricthecentaur]

Who said the Lord had all the best tunes?

[AnOpheliaComplex]

My daddy used to sing this when I was little - Roy and Leon are legends =]

[JJamerson]

@lysp08 You need to get hold of the LP, "That's Not The Way It's Got To Be".

[stevegoldfield]

This is one of my all-time favorite gospel songs.

[lxa3000]

@billybraquemard1 i know, right? give us a break, j.c. 2000 years and still dominating the world.

[431pvuf]

@cedricthecentaur No one. English evangelical clergyman Rowland Hill is supposed to have said " why should the devil have all the best tunes". He tried to increase the quality of church music by publishing and writing hymns.

[Echrick]

@431pvuf Not that I know of. Government for you.

[431pvuf]

@Echrick did that solve the problem?

[billybraquemard1]

On and on and on it goes; doesn't he know when to stop?

[Chilterns50]

@TonyFDordogne Yes, I hope so, too ... especially The World Turned Upside Down.

[lysp08]

I would really love to hear Streets of London again NOT the Ralph Mctell one but the one Roy sand about the trades there used to be in London ".. On Highbury Hill a half back and on Primrose Hill a preacher..........."

[KennBurch]

@SofaEaterLovesYou Somebody really needs to make a video of that one. I'd use pictures of late-era Rod Steiger to depict "Meir", and probably someone like Jack Gilford to represent "Sam"..