Easter greetings from Mike and Pam Mirabella

Come Down From the Mountain

by Mike Mirabella

Papa Mike’s Music ©1982, 2019

He was a preacher, prophet, a teacher;

Weaver of stories, a page out of time,

Doctor, a healer, shepherd, a keeper;

He set the fire that burns in my mind.

 

He promised a kingdom, spoke of its glory,

Eternal salvation, of heaven sublime;

Told us to follow, to love all our neighbors;

That he’d never leave us, and we’d never die.

 

I’m not the kind to be touched by a dreamer,

Dreaming won’t mix with a practical mind;

Told him to show me some proof of his magic,

An angel from heaven, a star from the sky, (or)

Refrain:

Come down, down, down from the mountain,

They say you’re a prophet, they say you’re Divine;

Come down, down, down from the mountain.

If you are the Promise, then show me a sign.

I tagged along just to see what would happen,

Trusting the stranger, wondering why;

Who could he be, what was he after?

I had to know, so, I bided my time.

 

I played the part, I was quick and amusing,

Doing my best not to step out of line;

But, my trying to please him was only a scheme,

Thought if I played my cards right, a kingdom was mine.

 

Just when I thought I could count on his favor,

He showed me the folly and sins of my life;

He could see through me, somehow, he knew me,

But old habits die hard, so again I replied,

Refrain:

Come down, down, down from the mountain,

They say you’re a prophet, they say you’re Divine;

Come down, down, down from the mountain.

If you are the Promise, then show me a sign.

Who would have guessed he could capture so many?

All who would listen were swept in the tide;

Safe in his power, we stood at the ready,

Drunk with the courage, that flows with the wine.

 

Passions to drive him, good counsel to guide him,

Sure of a victory with God on our side;

We marched on the city to challenge his critics,

All singing his praises and primed for a fight.

Refrain:

Come down, down, down from the mountain,

They say you’re a prophet, they say you’re Divine;

Come down, down, down from the mountain.

If you are the Promise, then show me a sign.

Fate be the trickster, prankster, the twister,

Harvest of plenty, thief in the night;

Wept as he blessed them; yet, they condemned him;

They beat, they laughed and they hung him to die.

 

We looked to creation for one, who could save him,

An army of angels, a sword spitting fire;

We screamed and we raged, but our screams were in vain;

Then our fear turned to hate and we began to cry. (You),

Refrain:

Come down, down, down from the mountain,

They say you’re a prophet, they say you’re Divine;

Come down, down, down from the mountain.

If you are the Promise, then show me a sign.

Were we just fools to have followed a dreamer,

A fraud, a deceiver, another who lied?

Cast in the darkness, lost in the madness’,

With no one to turn to and nowhere to hide.

 

“Run for your lives!” shouted voices around us,

“Stand up and fight!” cried the voices behind;

Frozen in fear, we broke and we panicked,

Our Master was dead, how could we survive?

 

Out of the pall of our fear and confusion,

A stranger stepped forth as a balm to our souls;

Calling our names, he knelt and embraced us,

Praising our God, as did our Master before.

 

Was this a dream? Could this be our Master?

Didn’t he die on that cold stormy night?

A dream or for real, his deeds held the answer;

Giving us hope and revealing a sign!

Refrain:

You came down, down, down from the mountain,

More that a prophet, more than divine;

You came down, down, down from the mountain,

You are the Promise. Yes, you are the Sign!