Thorns In The Straw

Since the day the angel came 
It seemed that everything had changed 
The only certain thing 
Was the child that moved within 
On the road that would not end 
Winding down to Bethlehem 
So far away from home

Just a blanket on the floor 
Of a vacant cattle-stall 
But there the child was born 
She held him in her arms 
And as she laid him down to sleep 
She wondered - will it always be 
So bitter and so sweet 

And did she see there 
In the straw by his head a thorn 
And did she smell myrrh
In the air on that starry night
And did she hear angels sing 
Not so far away 
Till at last the sun rose blood-red 
In the morning sky 

Then the words of ancient seers 
Tumbled down the centuries ... 
A virgin shall conceive... 
God with us... Prince of Peace 
Man of Sorrows - strangest name 
Oh Joseph there it comes again
So bitter yet so sweet 

And as she watched him through the years 
Her joy was mingled with her tears 
And she'd feel it all again 
The glory, and the shame 
And when the miracles began 
She wondered, who is this man 
And where will this all end 

'Til against a darkening sky
The son she loved was lifted high 
And with his dying breath 
She heard him say 'Father forgive'
And to the criminal beside 
"Today-with me in Paradise" 
So bitter yet so sweet