Rise up Lazarus, get out of that grave
Rise and shine Lazarus, clean up and get a shave
Martha is weeping, she's been gnashing her teeth
Can't you hear her wailing, rise up and stop her grief

The dogs are sniffing, the children are scared
Now, Martha is laughing "brother you've been spared"
She's cooking a goat, calling all her friends
Oh rise up Lazarus and live again (again, again)

Rise up, rise up

He's a local celebrity they all buy him drinks
He's an authority on death they ask him what he thinks
Did you see my mother there?
Or see a great white light?
Did you fight with the devil on that eternal night?

He goes on a lecture circuit
Hosts his own TV show
Has his pick of women wherever he goes
He advises politicians, he dines with kings
Gets a record deal and he starts to sing (and sing, and sing)

Then Jesus gets in trouble and goes to trial
Lazarus gets wind and lays low for a while
The network pulls the plug, the record deal heads south
He hides out in the cave behind Martha's house

And they weep, they cry and moan for their friend
All the lies the injustice and how he meets his end
They cry for a while then he starts to grin
"My God Martha, he's gonna rise again (again, again)

After the burial they just move away
Get an apartment in Cairo and live out their days
He works on chariots and keeps his secret well hid
And never talks about what Jesus did
The years roll along, they both get on the pension

And he often thinks of his former attention
On the night he lay dying he calls out to his friend
"Oh Jesus can you hear me?"
Then Lazarus dies again