"On The Way To Jerusalem" lyrics - LAURIE ANDERSON

LAURIE ANDERSON
"On The Way To Jerusalem"

There was a devout nun
In the XVth century
Who decided to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem;
And she belonged to an order
That wore bags over their heads.

And the mother superior told the nun
That if she walked through the countryside
With a bag on her head,
She would scare people.

But the nun insisted,
So the mother superior allowed to her
To walk around and around the cloister,
Every day for three years
Until she covered the equivalent distance
To the Holy City.

At the end of her journey
The nun was so exhausted
That she collapsed.
A doctor was called.
After examining her
He announced that she was too weak
To make the return trip.
The nun died shortly after.