THE QUEEN OF THE SILVER DOLLAR

 

THE QUEEN OF THE SILVER DOLLAR

Every once in a while  you hear a song that has the right tune, the right cadence and the  right singer. The best singers put something of themselves into singing the song or, as I like to say,  telling the story. One of my favorite singers was Randy Travis. He hailed from a small town in North Carolina.  He would always hum at the beginning of a song to make sure that he was in tune   with the chord being played.  Up until his debilitating stroke, he did the necessary thing of putting himself into the song. In other words, he inserted feeling and emotion as he sung the story. Every song has a story  either in the song or in the writing of the song.

 Country songs are noted for the sad songs like Born to Lose. . Can you imagine feeling like you were born to lose? What a depressing thought.  Many prisoners had prison tattoos with those words on their fingers. Johnny Cash sang a song called  Dark as a  Dungeon. It is about the coal miners, the black lung folks who worked down in the mines of Virginia,  West Virginia and Kentucky. Down in the mine, the wind never blows and the sun never shines.

Tennessee Ernie Ford sang a memorable song about loading coal, Sixteen Tons. Coal used to be King up until the politicians wanted to shut it down as a dirty source of fuel. Hillary Clinton lost a lot of votes  when she  said in a speech in West Virginia that when she became president, that she was going to " put a lot of  coal miners out of work". You could count her supporters in West Virginia on the  tattooed fingers  bearing the the saying, Born to Lose. I thank God that her misspeaks helped defeat this odious person. Yes Madam President Wanna be, you will never measure up to the Queen of the Silver Dollar. I am a proud "deplorable". 

Loretta Lynn was a Coal Miner's Daughter and Dolly Parton  wore a Coat of Many Colors. The Carter  family was famous for songs like Wild Wood Flower and Keep on the Sunny Side. Jim Reeves sang of hanging out in a tavern  called Three Teardrops.  Merle Haggard sang of Swinging Doors and Mama Tried. Jimmy Rogers sang of a hobo Waiting for a train and he sang about what killed him when he sang TB  Blues.

The majority of people who like music have a favorite song, There is even a song named: They're playing my song and Look What They've Done to my Song. People plug the jukebox and punch in A10 to hear their favorite song or they send a note on a napkin to request a band to play what they consider  their song.

Anita and I claimed the song "Oh How Happy You Have Made Me as our song. Yes, it is a soul song. My other famous soul song is "Bring it on Home to Me".

I normally believe the best songs are the ones written and sung  by the songwriter. The exception to this is Kris Kristofferson. He came from a wealthy family who wanted him to make something of himself. He was  a Rhodes  scholar and he was a Captain in the Army, a helicopter pilot. He gave all that up and took a  job as a janitor in a music studio in Nashville. He wrote numerous number one hits for other singers  but his voice quality was not flexible enough to sing most of his own songs. Other singers made hits of  memorable songs like Sunday Moring Coming Down and Loving Her Was Easy but Forgiving seems to  Take a Long Long Time. . Two songs that I think he did an excellent job on is Why Me Lord and The  Silver Tongued Devil and I.  He received a letter from his parents disowning him. He showed it to Johnny Cash who remarked: " It's always nice to get a letter from home, isn't it Kris?

My all time favorite songs were the songs of Roger Miller. Crazy Looney songs like Dang Me and sad songs like Husbands and Wives. Of course his signature song made him a star King of The Road. His songs were both sad and happy. England Swings was a favorite of mine  as well as Walking in the Sunshine and Summertime. He had so much more to give and died too young. 

I could go on and on but I will get to the point of the title of this story.  Shel Silverstein wrote the song Queen of the Silver Dollar especially for Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show. Ray Hook was the leader of  the band and my did they have fun with every song they performed. They sold out a huge concert in  Australia and many other places. Ray Hook liked the taste of alcohol and word is that the band regularly took drugs. But a lot of musicians bit the dust because of using drugs to help them Make it through the Night. Janis Joplin tore up the song Me and Bobby McGee and then died young. The story  is that Mama Cass choked on a chicken bone. You are not supposed to eat the bone but other stories say  that she died of drug overdose. Elvis sang Its Now or Never and he lies in a grave with his name  misspelled on the tombstone.  The word misspelled is very often misspelled and the English accept the  spelling as Misspelt as an  easier way to spell misspelled. My English teacher paid the word no mind as she concentrated in the rule: Never end a sentence in a preposition. 

There I go again. It is easy for me to slip off topic but I will continue to do better.  If I could summarize what I consider significant about a song or a story, it would be to insert emotion. Anyone can sign or speak  the words but Ray Hook put a ton of emotion into singing The Queen of the Silver Dollar. Other singers have covered the song but to me, no one can match the sheer emotion that Dr. Hook puts into the song. It makes all the difference. The presentation of a story, a joke or a song is critical and vital. I want you to listen to the song, then read the words and feel the emotion that Dr. Hook puts into the words. 

QUEEN OF THE SILVER DOLLAR

She's the queen of the silver dollar and she rules this smoky kingdom
And her scepter is a wine glass, and the bar stool is her throne
And the jesters, they flock around her and they fight to win her favors
And see which one will take the queen of the silver dollar home
 

She arrives in all her splendor every night at nine o'clock
And her chariot is a crosstown bus that stops right down the block
The ol' piano minstrel plays a song as she walks in
And the queen of the silver dollar, she's home again

[Chorus]
She's the queen of the silver dollar, and she rules this smoky kingdom And her scepter is a wine glass and the bar stool is her throne, And the jesters flock around her, and fight to win her favors
And see which one will take the queen of the silver dollar home, 


[Verse 2]
Her royal gown is a satin dress that's stained and slightly torn 

And her sparkling jewels are rhinestones, and her shoes are scuffed and worn From the many roads she's traveled and the wonderous sights she's seen

And I watch her and I pray, "God save the queen"

[Verse 3]
The queen of the silver dollar is not as haughty as she seems
She was once an ordinary girl with ordinary dreams
But I found her and I won her, and I brought her to this world
Yes, I'm the man who made a queen of a simple country girl

[Chorus]
Now she's the queen of the silver dollar, and she rules this smoky kingdom
And her scepter is a wine glass and the bar stool is her throne
And the jesters flock around her, and fight to win her favors
And see which one will take the queen of the Silver Dollar home

[Outro]
She's the queen of the silver dollar, and she rules this smoky kingdom
And her scepter is a wine glass

I will now give my analysis of this song. 

No name is mentioned for the Queen of this song. She was an ordinary girl who the songwriter discovered. He claims that he made a Queen of an ordinary Country Girl. Sort of a take on the movie: My Fair Lady" One of the characters remarked that he could make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.  Then there's the saying also how you can put lipstick on a pig, but she's still a pig. 

Apparently, this Queen filled the role the songwriter wrote for her. She got into her role and played the part well. The sad thing I picked up on was where the songwriter said he won her but then he placed her in a position where "the jesters" competed for her favors. Why was he not keeping her as his "won" lover instead of placing her on a barstool to be won each night by one of the jesters? My thought is that he took more pleasure in building her up so that others might look upon him as the inventor of this Queen. She must have been a good looking country girl but without much means. 

Her royal gown is a satin dress that's stained and slightly torn. 

This adds sadness to the song . The least the guy who "won" this ordinary girl could have bought her some nice clothes. I picture a thrift store dress that was long out of fashion. The stains most likely from beer and wine. She had no funds to dry clean the dress or replace it with a more current style. But, that is part of the picture that portrays her as a Queen, quite a promotion for an "ordinary country girl" After all she had "ordinary dreams" not lofty dreams. 

So, her chariot is a cross town bus that drops her down the block and she walks to the Silver Dollar to shine until closing time. The patrons of the bar look to her as royalty for the barroom setting.

And her sparkling jewels are rhinestones, and her shoes are scuffed and worn From the many roads she's traveled and the wonderous sights she's seen

The sparkling jewels came from a yard sale or a thrift store and were purchased from crumpled up dollars stuffed into her bra by lovesick drunks. She sits on her barstool throne and observes the pool and dart games in the background. She has a wine glass in her hand with cheap chardonnay or rose wine which the bartender supplies without charge. After all, it is part of her persona. 

The odor of her smoky kingdom clings to her nostrils and her clothes, but , she became accustomed to the smells.

Her shoes are scuffed and worn but she has seen no wonderous sights as the song sarcastically suggests.  She still has dreams of a better existence but she has fell into this rut and this fantasy of ruling a smoky kingdom from the uncomfortable barstool throne. No one  of the regulars dares sit upon her designated barstool and the bartender informs any bar hopper that stops by that the "throne" is reserved.

This is an extremely sad song and Dr. Hook puts his feelings and emotions into the song to make it memorable. The tune is catchy and one cannot but tell that this is a story told in untold venues across the world. America does not have real royalty but in the minds of the songwriter (Shel Silverstein) and the singer (Ray Hook) there is royalty at the Silver Dollar.

Carl Owen May 14, 2025

 

 

 

The Prelude, The Bad Joke, the Moose Story With Postlude

THE PRELUDE

I really don’t know what a prelude is, but I thought it sounded good. When I read a book sometimes, the first chapter does not start until the author goes off on a tangent explaining the background of his story and introducing the characters. Personally, I think a story should start out with Chapter 1, but I guess each to their own. Now, the popular thing with movies is to have a Prequel. As best as I can tell, it is the story before the story which makes me think there will eventually be a Postquel to explain what happened after the story. Really, isn’t that what Chapters are for; to introduce the storyline, identify the characters and develop a story that interests the reader? I like the alternate endings. You can choose whether the good guy gets killed off or whether he lives happier ever after. I have read some books that hold my interest and then the author gets tired and comes up with a terrible ending. Publishers should closely edit the ending to stop awful endings. The same should hold true for movies. Braveheart is a fitting example. My son Kyle and I have watched Braveheart numerous times, and each time Mel Gibson gets pulled apart. Kyle knows the entire movie lines, and his favorite is when Mel Gibson is asked what he is going to do, and he replies: “I’m going to pick a fight.” My fingers are getting a little tired so I am going to wrap up this Prelude or Prequel since it has nothing to do with the Moose story and it could be perceived as rambling. As far as Mel Gibson goes, I have seen him in other movies and I marvel at the ability to put a person back together after he has been torn apart. Hang tough Mel and don’t accept any more movies with such drastic endings.  I guess I will end this prelude/prequel in the hopes that I have confused readers. My theory is if you confuse the reader, they will keep reading hoping that the story gets better. Sorry about that, this story doesn’t get much better. Maybe, I should have stopped at the prelude.

THE BAD JOKE

Not saying that I agree, but I have been told that when you tell a story that if you tell a bad joke up front that readers will be so grateful after struggling through the bad joke that they will keep reading and accept even a mediocre story because it is such an improvement over the bad joke. Alas, there are many more critics than authors of stories. Please forgive the bad taste of the joke below.

There once was a man who desperately wanted a son to carry on his legacy. He was so happy when his wife became pregnant. I have heard that pregnancy is incredibly stressful, and that giving birth is extremely painful. Don’t blame men, blame God. He designed this system plus it gives women a topic of conversation that they can tell over and over and compete with other women describing the pain. OOPS, I am sliding off track as I am prone to do, so back to the bad joke.

The man strutted around for 9 months proud as a peacock while his wife moaned and complained. Finally, the big day came, and he rushed his wife to the Hospital. His wife was in indescribable pain and forbid him from being in the birthing room with some choice words which I will not repeat here.

He paced back and forth in the waiting room for hours. Finally, the doctor came out and the man rushed to meet him with a dozen questions. The Doctor told him, mother and baby are fine, but we need to step in my office and discuss an issue with the baby. Is it a boy the man anxiously queried. Not exactly said the Doctor as they entered the doctor’s office

Oh, said the man, then it’s a girl. Not exactly, said the doctor. It is an unusual  situation; you should sit down. You see, your baby does not have a sex, it is neither a boy nor a girl. What the hell said the man. The doctor said the baby did not fully develop and it is just a  large  nine-pound eye without an actual body.  This is terrible said the man but at least the baby is healthy, right? After all, we can be grateful for that but what in the world could be worse? Well, said the doctor, “You see the baby is blind.”

 

OK, I apologize for anyone offended. People have written to me and asked what the parents named the Baby. EYE don’t know. 

 

THE MOOSE

You know the sad thing about telling a story is that some people do not believe the story is true. It is a risk I take as I have somehow, with some of my stories in the past, embellished a little to make the story a little more interesting. Sort of a mix of fiction and non-fiction blended together.  Not with this story but with some of my previous tales. I assure you that this story is a true accounting of an incident and a powerful lesson that I learned when I was much younger.

My wife and I bought a small house, and it had enough room for a couch, a kitchen table, and a living room area. That taught us that we needed a bigger house, but alas, we could not afford one when the Moose entered our lives.

I had obtained an old Cadillac which I had jacked up in the front yard in true North Carolina style. It was an ugly purple color, and the grass was growing around it as I did not have a weed eater at the time or a zero-turn mower. So, if you can picture a small front yard with a push lawn mower, a disabled Cadillac parked next to a large green Dinosaur in front of a small house then you can visualize the setting prior to the Moose. Oh, I should explain the dinosaur; it was not real, I bought it at a Sinclair Gas Station that was going out of business. I can tell you my wife was not really happy with my acquisition. She even used some harsh words about me spending the grocery money on what I called my Green Friend. I spent a lot of time just chatting with Dino. Initially, I had to sleep in the front yard on our old couch crowded up close to Dino.  Anyway, we had leftover pinto beans and a loaf of day-old bread to last us until payday. I did have to promise not to buy anymore large animals and that is when the Moose comes into this story. Now, I realize the rest of the story might be a little hard to believe but you have lasted this long , so hang in there. People say that truth is stranger the fiction. My wife would describe this story with more colorful words, but she can get pretty descriptive about some of my choices.

One day  a man in a pickup truck stopped by my house and asked me if he could purchase the purple Cadillac. I was reluctant at first, but he offered me the same amount of money that I paid. I tried to boost the price by telling him all the work I had done on the Caddy, which was a slight exaggeration. You see, I had planned to do a lot of work on the Cadillac, I had just not gotten around to it despite my wife’s reminders. I came from North Carolina, and we have a reputation for being tough traders. There is a custom to ask for something to boot in a trade. It is just an expression that means the person who wins out on a negotiation gets something in addition to the offered trade money or whatever. An example is if you are selling a car, you might offer to throw in a spare tire to boot to secure the deal.

Well, the man wanting the Cadillac obviously wanted the broken purple Caddy as his Dad had one just like it when he was growing up. I clearly had the upper hand and demanded something to boot in the trade. The man haggled for a while and finally broke down and asked me to come to his pickup with him. I followed him to his truck, and he opened the tailgate, There on the bed of his truck was a little wooden pen with chicken wire.

He reached in the pen and took out a small animal that looked like a cross between a little dog and a deer. Well, I am a sucker for small animals, and I asked the man what the animal was. He said it was a newborn Moose. He placed it in my hand and the little Moose barely covered the palm of my hand. The moose looked up at me with its big EYES (Don’t go back to the bad joke now). I told him that we had a small house and asked if the little moose would get very large. Oh no, he said. This here is what they call a miniature moose.

Well, I accepted the Moose as boot to the money deal on the Caddy.  I put the little cage with the moose in the back yard and fed it some breadcrumbs and some leftover sausage gravy. I cut him a water dish from a milk jug and filled it, and he laid on his pad and curled up.

The next day, the man came with a chain and a tow rope and took the purple Caddy. My wife was overjoyed and she gave me a hug and said now, look for a buyer for that ugly green dinosaur she said.  No way says I as I wrapped my arms around Dino’s neck. He is my close friend and people give directions by saying: “You drive by the house with the Green Dinosaur and go about a mile further to the Babtist Church and turn left.” She huffed at that. Later on, at supper, I told her how I had hoodwinked the man on the Caddy trade by demanding something to boot. What did you get said she?  Well, let me show you. I took her out back and opened the Moose cage. She did not look incredibly happy as she asked, what is it? I explained that it was a miniature moose. Won’t it get big? How will we feed it? Winter’s coming on, How will it stay warm? Do we have to name it? What were you thinking? I explained the North Carolina trading policy which she did not seem to understand. She peppered me with about a dozen other questions before going back in the house still muttering.  I did not understand all her concerns, after all, it was such a small critter.

Well, winter showed up with colder weather. I built a larger cage for the moose and put an old worn-out winter coat in the cage to keep the moose warm. It had started to grow, and it was slowly outgrowing the new cage. I was amazed that a miniature moose could grow so big.

Well, it started snowing and getting colder and when I went out to feed the moose, it was shivering. I explained to my wife that we had to bring it inside so it could stay warm by the wood heater. She did not take well to that remedy and told me I would have to find another home for the moose because our house was so small. She added that she had never heard of anyone having a moose in their house. I again explained that it was a miniature moose according to the man and it would not get larger than a dog and people had house dogs. She appeared to be skeptical at best. To be truthful, the moose was already as big as a big Saint Bernard Dog and our food bill had gone up a lot. I began to doubt the man who now owned my purple Caddy that the moose was a miniature moose. I called the zoo and asked how big a miniature moose would get. The Zookeeper laughed and told me that there was no such thing as a miniature moose. About that time, I was questioning my trading skills.

 

To make a long story shorter, the moose grew and grew. We had to put the  dining room table outside by our old couch and the Green Dinosaur . People started giving directions by saying you go past the house with the green dinosaur and the Kitchen table where the purple Cadillac used to be  and turn right at the next corner by the old Sinclair Gas Station.

The Moose grew antlers, and we were losing weight because the food money had to go to the moose. If it was hungry, it snorted really loudly and gave out a loud bray like a wounded mule. It drank gallons of water  and to be truthful the moose became so large that I could not get it out the front door to go potty. The antlers scrapped the top of the ceiling, and the sprayed popcorn texture was all over the rug. We rigged up a harness and a large hose to direct the moose pee out the window and strapped a plastic barrel around his butt for the poop. My wife appeared to become less and less happy and would try to get around the large miniature moose to get to the couch or to get to the kitchen. Once, the moose bumped her against the wall and trapped her. She was a little less than happy when I got home and finally pulled the moose over enough to free her. At one point she yelled that either the miniature moose or her had to go. I finally broke down and called the Zoo. They came out and looked at the large miniature moose. They said that they would have to remove a wall by the front door to get the moose out. It was still cold and I hung blue tarps where the wall used to be. People gave directions to go past the house with the green dinosaur , the kitchen table , the large pile of moose poop and go two blocks to the Dollar Store and turn left.

Life went slowly back to normal. We framed out a new wall in front and boarded it up. We replaced the rugs where the moose had had accidents on. We visited the miniature moose at the zoo, and he was the biggest of all the other Mooses. My wife told me not to believe anybody who claimed that there was any such thing as a miniature moose, and I agreed and told her not to worry that I had learned my lesson.

Well, my green dinosaur started fading and getting mildewed from the snow, so my wife complained that Dino was an eyesore. I loved that dinosaur, but I finally agreed to sell it. You know happy wife, happy life right? I put an ad in the paper with a picture of Dino.

One day a man hauling a large trailer with a hoist came by and said he was interested in buying the dinosaur. While  we were talking, my wife came out to observe the transaction. It seems the man collected large plastic and stone animals. He offered a fair amount of money and said he would throw in a small miniature baby camel to boot. That was when my wife took over the haggling and said Thanks but no Thanks. Money for dinosaur. No boot, no camel, no moose, or any other  miniature anything. I interrupted and tried to explain North Carolina trading etiquette to her, but she pushed me out of the way and helped the man put a lifting harness on Dino. I cried as the man drove off with my Green Dinosaur, but you know happy wife, happy life.

POSTLUDE

I  made up that tile of POSTLUDE. There is no such thing. Well, actually, there is now.

I realize that certain parts of my story might cause some readers to scoff and maybe even claim that I went beyond literary embellishment rules but fortunately, I videotaped the events described  above. For $19.99 plus postage, I will send a VHS tape of my front yard with Dino and the kitchen table. I will include pictures of the miniature Moose as a baby, his growing up pictures, his first antlers, his poop bucket, and the pile of manure in the front yard along with video of my wife waving goodbye to Dino strapped down on a trailer.

But wait. If you pay just for additional shipping and handling, I will include another tape along with a small burlap bag of genuine miniature Moose poop. Act now!

 

FIN

 

VICTOR GARNET McCALL

Almost everyone has heard the expressions: Rest in Peach, Gone but Not Forgotten but how long does that sentiment last? Not very long because people resort to the saying that Life is for the living and that makes sense because a death cannot be reversed. Lazurus was an exception. He was a friend of Jesus and Jesus stayed with Lazures on his way to the temples  in Jerusalem for sacrifices.  I think Jesus saved his friend from death to show non-believers that the Almighty has no limits to his power. 

 

Garnet was raised in a small North Carolina  community known as Frozen Creek which is located between the great metropolis of Rosman and Quebec community just off U.S. highway 64. He walked the hills, broke mountain Ivy, hunted ginseng and gathered moss for sale. He was a likable person, and the girls found him handsome. He had a way with small engines, and he could fix automobiles, motorcycles and scooters or mopeds. When he joined the Navy, he became an Engineman. The EN2 on his gravestone stands for Engineman second class. He was assigned to be a crewmember on a riverboat in Viet Nam. His boat was attacked by fire from VC on the bank of the river. The skipper of the boat performed evasive maneuvers while the crew returned fire. Garnet was in the aft section of the boat and he either was shot or fell overboard. His body was not recovered although the Navy sent an empty coffin for his family to bury. I was not able to attend his funeral as I was in Texas, but I heard there was quite a crowd. So, people honored and remembered Garnet at his funeral and probably for a few days after and then they went about the business of living. Such is the way of life.

Garnet’s name is on the Viet Nam memorial wall.  I traced his name onto a piece of paper and gave it to his Mother Viola. Viola was the daughter of Jess Morgan who built the house where I was born.    She was grateful that someone still remembered her son.

His father, Dewitt McCall  (known as Dee) died at the age of 70 in 1971. His mother, Viola lived until 2010.  He had a younger brother, Ted Devon McCall who was tragically shot and died in 2004.

US Navy Engineman Second Class(EN2)Victor Garnett McCall was a casualty of the Vietnam War. As a member of the Navy, EN2 McCall served our country until February 22nd, 1969, in Kien Hoa, South Vietnam. He was 27 years old and was not married. It is reported that Victor died from drowning. (His body was recovered). Victor was born on October 8th, 1941, in Brevard, North Carolina. EN2 McCall is on panel 32W, line 083 of the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington D.C. He served our country for 4 years.

The Navy claimed his body was recovered but his family buried an empty casket.

He was the Son of Mr. and Mrs. Dewitt McCall, Route #2, Brevard, NC. His Dad was known as Dee McCall. He grew up in a small house across Frozen Creek Road on the other side of Frozen Creek.

He served aboard Armored Troop Carrier ATC-132-6, a unit of River Squadron 13, Task Force 117, US Naval Forces Vietnam.

He was awarded The Vietnam Service Medal, The Republic of Vietnam Campaign Service Medal, The National Defense Service Medal and the Good Conduct Medal. I have the same medals.

 

I REMEMBER GARNET. When I think about him, I remember his service to his country. He was not the only one from Frozen Creek to serve in the Viet Nam war. My twin brothers Howard and Harold served, and my brother Michael Daniel served. I served three campaigns. I was a member of Attack Squadron 144. We launched low level A4 bombers loaded with 250- and 500-pound bombs as well as missiles. Sometimes our planes would return to the Carrier with small arms damage to the undercarriage  which was caked with mud from the rice paddies.  Others from Frozen Creek served and  we all still carry scars physically and mentally. We all lost friends and shipmates. Upon our return, we were not welcomed home.

 

I wish Jesus had raised some of my friends killed during the war. They died too soon.

The Death of Lazarus  Jesus Raises Lazarus From the Dead

 Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.  (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) ³ So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”

 When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.”  Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.  So, when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days,  and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”

 “But Rabbi,” they said, “a short while ago the Jews there tried to stone you, and yet you are going back?”

 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble, for they see by this world’s light.  It is when a person walks at night that they stumble, for they have no light.”

 After he had said this, he went on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.”

 His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.”  Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.

So, then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead,  and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”

 Then Thomas (also known as Didymus^[a]) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

Jesus Comforts the Sisters of Lazarus

 On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Now Bethany was less than two miles^[b] from Jerusalem,  and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother.  When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.

 “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died.  But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”

 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

 Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;  and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

 “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”

 After she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. “The Teacher is here,” she said, “and is asking for you.” When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him.  Now Jesus had not yet entered the village but was still at the place where Martha had met him.  When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there.

 When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.  “Where have you laid him?” he asked.

“Come and see, Lord,” they replied.

 Jesus wept.

 Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”

 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”

 Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance.  “Take away the stone,” he said.

“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”

 Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”

 So, they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me.  I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”

 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”  The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.

Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”