Op. 41 – When Jesus Slept

This work was intended as a light-hearted answer to the famous William Billings composition When Jesus Wept. The musical idiom is tonal and highly syncopated, and the slightly irreverent text is of my own devising:

When Jesus slept, the heavens waged
In battle as the ocean raged
A war on thirteen mortal men.
When Jesus woke he said, What ho
To hear the gentle breezes blow,
And just as promptly dozed again.
The ocean, which he turned that day
Into a pale dry Chardonnay
Reflected the clear light of day.
The disciples shook with fear no more
But when they heard Our Savior snore
They left the boat and walked to shore.