“The Man That Lives”
Description
"The man that lives must learn to die, Christ will no longer stay...." Listeners are reminded that their bodies will be food for worms; their lives are grass. They are in danger of hell, and one who ends there, "no physic shall him cure."
Supplemental text
Man That Lives, The
Partial text(s)
*** A ***
From Ella Mary Leather, Folk-Lore of Herefordshire, pp. 195-196.
From either "Mrs. Wheeler" or "Mr. W. Jenkins"; in either case,
collected 1909.
The man that lives must learn to die,
Christ will not longer stay;
Our time is short as near at hand
To take our lives away.
What is our lives that we must die,
Or what's our carcase then?
It's food for worms to feed upon --
Christ knows the time and when.
(6 additional stanzas)
References
- Leather, pp. 195-196, "The Man That Lives" (1 text, 2 tunes)
- ST Leath195 (Partial)
- Roud #2110
- BI, Leath195