My Name’s Jonah.
No wonder I’m so pale.
For the last few days,
I’ve been in this whale.
One day, as I lay on my bed,
I heard this voice inside my head.
“Get up”. It said. “Go to Nineveh”.
“Get up. Get gone. It’s not too far”.
Well!
I didn’t like God talking to me.
So I thought, “I’m not standing for this,
I’ll run off to sea”.
I went down to Joppa
To get on the boat.
I thought, “With my luck,
I’ll get one that won’t float”.
We hadn’t set sail
For more than a week.
When I was proved right,
Boat started to leak.
The wind whipped the waves up
Ever so high;
And they way they came over us
You couldn’t see sky.
The sailors said,
“There’s someone gods don’t like in here”.
And as they said it
They were shaking with fear.
We all cast lots
To see who it may be …
You’ve guessed it … just my luck.
Lot fell upon me.
Well!
Then I told them about me running away.
They said, “Young man.
With your life you must pay”.
I looked at sailors …
They looked at me …
They really were angry,
That I could see.
And then in a flash
And before I could think.
They’d thrown me in sea,
And were watching me sink.
I sank through the sea,
Getting ever more pale.
Then saw a big fish.
A blooming’ great whale.
I looked at whale …
Whale looked at me …
It really was hungry,
That I could see.
It looked for a minute,
And then with a swallow.
I found myself hurtling
Into that hollow.
I sat in its belly,
Far more than a day.
And then thought, “Oh, well, lad.
You’ll just have to pray”.
I placed hands together.
Closed eyes up real tight.
Didn’t think God would help me,
But I thought he just might.
I told God I’d do
Whatever he’d ask.
I said, “I’ll do anything.
Any Job. Any task”.
I’d no sooner said it
Then God spoke to the fish.
Its belly started rumbling.
I thought … “I don’t fancy this”.
I fought hard to steady
myself with my hand.
As the whale with a retch
Spewed me up on dry land.
The sun it was dazzling,
Up there in the heights.
And then I heard God’s voice …
“Go to Ninevites”.
This time I felt
that I couldn’t say “No”.
So off to the Ninevites
I re-solved to go.
When I arrived
They all came out to stare.
I thought, “They’re all laughing at me.
It’s really not fair”.
I looked at Ninevites …
They looked at me …
I said, “This is the message,
The Lord’s got for thee.
Stop doing your evil.
Repent of your sin.
You’re better off here
Than where I’ve just been”.
The moral of my story
Is quite plain to see.
If you hear God’s voice
Don’t do same as me.
If you hear Him today,
Then obey without fail …
Or tomorrow you may find
That you’re in the whale.
Dick Underwood 2010
