Tradition by Liberated Wailing Wall

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Tradition
by Liberated Wailing Wall

A Jew for Jesus; sounds crazy right?
Well, maybe to some, but it's true
And it's not always easy being a Jew for Jesus.
Some people don't know, they don't even want to understand.
Why, I've been standing here for two and a half hours, handing out my pamphlets.
And in that time, I've been called "traitor," "fanatic," "crazy," and much worse.
Why, one guy even tore a pamphlet up into tiny little pieces,
After reading only the title; twenty four pieces to be exact.
Four of them fell on my cap, four on my shoes,
But I believe that God can reach even that guy.
Now, you might ask me why I'm standing out here like this,
Handing out my pamphlets?
Well, I'll tell you, it's because I believe God has called me,
To be a witness for him, to my people.
And if you're wondering what the Jewish community thinks about all this?
I can tell you that in just one word.

Tradition, tradition, tradition
Tradition, tradition, tradition.

Take my family for example; my mother, God bless her,
Has been having a very difficult time understanding me lately.
She doesn't seem to realize that a real Christian is Born Again.
So now she calls me, "my son, the Gentile!"
That's all she knows. She thinks that all Gentiles are Christians,
She confuses the Pharaoh and the Pope.
Billy Gram and Billy Carter.
To my mom, they all fall into one category, "them."
To here there's us and them.
Us, being the Jews, and now she thinks I've become a them.

"How could you cause me so much aggravation,
Don't you know the Christians murdered all the Jews?
Hitler, the Pope, the Communistic nations,
And now you tell me you're one too, oy!"

Tradition, tradition, tradition,
Tradition, tradition, tradition

My father is the best Certified Public Accountant in all of Brooklyn,
Well, before I was five, he taught me to do,
Three place multiplication tables - in my head.
He was hoping when I graduated from business school,
That we'd go into partnership together,
I guess I disappointed him when I told him,
That I thought God wanted me to spread His word.
So now he calls me, "my son, the preacher."
Coming from him, that's not exactly a compliment.
I tried to explain, but he only says, "it's tradition,
for a son to follow in the footsteps of his father."

"I even had a sign all made, says Moskowitz and Son,
But now you've picked a different trade; you preach the Gospel?"

Tradition, tradition, tradition,
Tradition, tradition, tradition

My crazy sister Sheila goes from one thing to another.
Why, just this year, she's been involved in transcendental meditation seminars,
Yoga classes, astrology sessions, palmistry reading, flying lessons,
Ecology fieldtrips, and all of them sponsored by the Jewish Community Center.
She thinks I'm narrow minded and intolerant,
So now she calls me, "My brother, the fanatic."
According to her, it's Jewish tradition to be liberal and open minded.
My sister Sheila is so open minded, that one of these days,
Her brains are going to fall out.

"How can you be so very narrow minded?
Do you mean to tell me there is just one way?
Try meditation, Yoga helps you find that we will make it all one day."

Tradition, tradition, tradition,
Tradition, tradition, tradition

But then there's my little brother, David.
He's been going to Hebrew school for four years now; smart as a whip too.
When I told him about Jesus, he went straight,
To the Rabbi to ask him some questions.
But the Rabbi only said, "Ach David, behave yourself. Jesus is not for the Jews."
But you know, I don't think that answer satisfied David,
He's been acting very strangely, and behaving very quietly.
I wonder, could God be getting through to him?

"It sounds like what he's saying just might possibly be true.
But how can I believe in it, and still remain a Jew?"

Tradition, tradition, tradition,
Tradition, tradition, tradition

Some people might say that I'm a Jew who's broken with tradition.
Well, that may be true, but I am a Jew;
A Jew who's returned to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

(All opposing views sung together)

Tradition, Tradition.........

Sometimes, it's a lonely life, being a Jew for Jesus.
But I know that there is someone who will be with me, always.