JACK STRANGER

Return to Me
A song about the Prodigal Son

the son said, “father i must go,
i wish not to stay here you know,
the world has much I want to see,
I hope that you will not stop me.
I see riches, I see gold
I see goods that I uphold
though it hurts to see you cry
I must bid you this last goodbye”

the father looked down lovingly
saying, “if you walk away from me
i will miss you with all of my heart
but even if you do depart
i will be waiting for you here
no matter if it takes you years
you are my son until the end
and I pray i will see you again”

the son left from his father’s place
with a smile on his face
ready to be free and grow
oh but little did he know
the world of pleasures has a cost
beware your soul may be lost
if you consume these earthly things 
and forget the joy your father brings 

the father looked out lovingly				
saying, “though you walked away from me
i miss you with all of my heart
but even though you did depart
I am waiting for you here
no matter if it takes you years
you are my son until the end
And I pray I will see you again”

the son quickly consumed his wealth
lost his food and lost his health
all his friends had left his side
so now he had to decide
should he live in misery,
watching pigs roam happily,
or return to his father’s place
to serve him for the rest of his days

the father looked out lovingly,
saying “son you have returned to me,
I have waited all this time
praying for you to be mine
let us kill the fattened calf
So we can sing and dance and laugh
to celebrate my son who died
who now has been brought back to life”

Return to Me

Our Tender Mother

♱
Based on the prayer in Jonah 2, with my lovely sister :)
Original Arabic words by Fr. Makary Younan
*Related saying by St. Macarius the Egyptian below lyrics!

(Chorus)
Hear my cry Lord, I pray to Thee, 
And to my voice incline Your ear, 
(Hold me and have mercy on me,) x2
(For You O Lord I am in great need.) x2

(Verse 1)
My soul is troubled in the deep, 
And my eyes are full of tears, 
(Now I remembered You indeed,) x2
(For Your salvation is so near.) x2

(Verse 2)
All of the waves came upon me, 
And I was drowned in the deep sea, 
(I asked for help, where could it be) x2 
(But in the hands of my Lord dear.) x2

(Chorus)
So hear my cry Lord, I pray to Thee, 
And to my voice incline Your ear, 
(Hold me and have mercy on me,) x2 
(For You O Lord I am in great need.) x2

(Verse 3)
My heart is trembling in great fear,
And my head is wrapped in weeds, 
(Out of the depths I cried to Thee,) x2
(Save my soul and set me free.) x2

(Verse 4)
God ordered the whale in the sea, 
To safely drop Jonah down in peace, 
(In the whale's belly Jonah kneeled,) x2
(And thanked the Lord for His great deed.) x2

* "Suppose a man were in the middle of a river in full flood, and overwhelmed by the water lay lifeless, drowned, with dreadful monsters all round him. If another man, who is not used to swimming, should wish to save the one who fell in, he too is lost, and is drowned with him. Clearly there is need of a skilled swimmer, an expert, to go out into the depth of the water of the gulf, and dive, and bring up the drowned man there among the monsters...The soul, in the same way, has been plunged and drowned in the abyss of darkness and the deep of death, and is dead and parted from God among dreadful monsters; and who is able to go down into those secret chambers and the depths of hell and death, except that expert Workman who fashioned the body? In His own person He enters into two quarters, into the depth of hell, and into the deep gulf of the heart, where the soul with its thoughts is held fast by death, and brings up out of the darksome hole the Adam that lay dead." + Fifty Spiritual Homilies of St. Macarius the Egyptian (Homily 11.12)

Jonah's Prayer/Hear my Cry (اسمع صراخي يا سيدي) - with Carol Eskandar on Violin

REFRAIN:

O MY MASTER HOW CRUEL WAS THE SHAMEFUL DEATH OF THE CROSS
BEFORE IT CARRIED YOU, YOU CARRIED IT
O RIGHTEOUS ONE

1)YOU ASKED FOR WATER, YOU TASTED VINEGAR
AND ALL BITTERNESS,
YOUR BLOOD FLOWED FROM YOUR BODY,
TO SAVE ALL SINNERS

2) UPON THE CROSS, O MY BELOVED
YOU SUFFERED MUCH PAIN
BY THOSE WHO CAUSED YOUR SUFFERING 
YET YOU FORGAVE THEIR SINS

3)ALL THIS MY LORD, 
TO BRING ME BACK
IN YOUR PROTECTION, I’LL LIVE WITH YOU
AND YOU WILL COMFORT ME

4) OH THAT MY HEART, MAY TREASURE YOU
SO THAT I MAY ATTAIN YOU
AND LIVE SINCERELY 
IN SUBMISSION TO YOU

O My Master

Seeing Is Believing

He too saw the promise
Of a distant light
But unlike him
He renounced the gold hat
And unlike her
She did not renounce him

His parties were simpler
But she was content
With what he could offer
A gift for hope
For a life together
And the promise of a dream

Don’t want no Daisy
That would make him crazy
He’s perfectly happy
To be a not so great Gatsby
A not so great Gatsby

Even now he remembered
The sad thing that happened to them
The deprivation
The desperation
The foul dust
That floated in their wakes

Don’t want no Daisy
That would make him crazy
He’s perfectly happy
To be a not so great Gatsby
A not so great Gatsby

Then through the smoke
He peered into her eyes
And saw the light there
Green as ever
And knew that they'd turn out
All right at the end

Don’t want no Daisy
That would make him crazy
He’s perfectly happy
To be a not so great Gatsby
A not so great Gatsby

Don’t want no Daisy
That would make him crazy
He’s perfectly happy
To be a not so great Gatsby
A not so great Gatsby


Words and Music (c)

The Not So Great Gatsby

NEW RELEASES WEEKLY! 


New Orleans indie songwriter Jack Strange offers a rich catalog of original AI-free acoustic rock, alternative, and folk-rock songs. Strange's albums include "Still Alone" (2000), "Heartbeat" (2002), "Ever Laughter" (2003), and "Back in New Orleans" (2009), and his forthcoming album "Blood on the Neutral Ground" is projected to be released in September 2025. Strange also is the author of "Would-Be Poems" (2025) and "Snake Tales" (2020).

All Strange songs are written, composed, and arranged by Jack Morris, except William Shakespeare wrote the lyrics in "Sylvia Who" (1589), and William Blake wrote the lyrics in "Tyger" (1794).

All Strange songs are performed by Jack Morris, with special guests the Morris Family Chorus performing on "Peace and Joy," featuring Beckham Breaux, Theresa Ocampo,  Payton Morris, Everett Breaux, Jordan Morris, Nora Ocampo, and Marigny Breaux, and Nora Kate Ocampo performing backup vocals on “Love Haunt.”

"Neutral Ground" cover art photo courtesy of Stacey Morris Breaux.

"Back in New Orleans" cover art courtesy of Joshua Breaux.

All Strange recordings are produced by Jack Morris.

All Strange songs are available for licensing for publication, performance, and commercial use.

Thanks for listening!

strangesongsunlimited@gmail.com

Disclaimer:
Jack Strange does not exist. He and his musical and literary works are products of the human imagination. Any resemblance to analog or electronic persons, living or dead, or to analog or electronic musical or literary works, is entirely coincidental.