Meshach, Shadrach And Abednego

Four friends
From Philadelphia
Whom you
May also know
Four friends
From Philly
Who ended up
In prison
After a very sad row

It was all because of
Jealousy and greed
And a few
Ounces of weed
That two of them
Are now sitting
In the shadow of
Death row

Yes Lord
I’m talkin about
Meshach
I’m talkin about
Shadrach
I’m talkin about
Abednego

You see
Meshach was
Jealous of
Shadrach
For being the
Lover of
Jezebel
I said that Meshach
Was jealous of
Shadrach
For being the lover of
Jezebel
And now
They’re all in
Graterford Prison
But it’s still better
Than goin to Hell
Yes Lord
I said they all
Ended up in
Graterford Prison
But it’s still better
Than goin to
Hell

Yes Lord
I’m talkin about
Shadrach
I’m talkin about
Meshach
I’m talkin about
Abednego

It seems that
Meshach paid Jezebel
To lure her man
To the parking lot that night
I said that
Meshach paid Jezebel
To lure young
Shadrach
To the parking lot that night
And then Abednego
Struck him down
With an axe handle
And he did it all
Just for spite
Yeah  Lord
He did it all
Just for spite

Yes Lord
I’m talkin about
Shadrach
I’m talkin about
Meshach
I’m talkin about
Abednego

Meshach and Abednego
Are sleepin in
Graterford prison tonight
But that
Miserable hussy
Jezebel
She’s still
Livin large they say
And they say
She’s doin alright

You see
She turned
State’s witness
And they let her off
Despite
Her havin lured
Young Shadrach
To the parking lot
That  night

Young Shadrach
Never saw what hit him
He never even
Had a chance to fight
And I doubt he’d be
Much comforted
If he’d known
Who did the slight

Yes Lord
I’m talkin about
Shadrach
I’m talkin about
Meshach
And I’m talkin about
Abednego

There’s no moral
To this story
And it’s not that
Unusual you know
In the city where
Such things happen
In the city where
The two rivers flow

Four of them
Were friends
Two were lovers
And the one was
A murderous foe

In the city
Where the
Two rivers flow
There’s literally
Hundreds more
Just like them
Just like
Meshach
Shadrach
And
Abednego

jhmarkowitz
Philadelphia, Pa. 2011