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.