(THE) LITTLE CARPENTER
by
Matt McGinn
He took a hammer and a nail
And a little piece of wood
He made a little table and a chair
People heard his name
Everybody came
To see the little carpenter
Joshua Ben Joseph was a charming little boy
His father gave him a joiner’s set
He loved that little toy
People came from miles around
Then they popped their eyes
When the lovely little boy
With the tricky little toy
Started to philosophise
He took a hammer and a nail
And a little piece of wood
He made a little table and a chair
People heard his name
Everybody came
To see the little carpenter
He said, ‘Feed the hungry
Tend the sick and old
Be Samaritan to the beggar man
Share out all your gold
Turn the cheek, be mild and meek
Have love for every man
Be he pink or rosy red
Or yellow, black or tan’
He took a hammer and a nail
And a little piece of wood
He made a little table and a chair
People heard his name
Everybody came
To see the little carpenter
Joshua Ben Joseph
To the temple went one day
He sent the money-changing men
Upon their merry way
But Joshua had gone too far
For the men of power and gold
In unity with the Pharisee
They said, ‘What we have, we hold’
They took a hammer and a nail
And a little piece of wood
They hanged him then and there
People heard his name
Everybody came
To see the little carpenter
He took a hammer and a nail
And a little piece of wood
He made a little table and a chair
People heard his name
Everybody came
To see the little carpenter