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Protestant Easter Lyrics by Anne Sexton

Selected Poems of Anne Sexton

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When he was a little boy
Jesus was good all the time.
No wonder that he grew up to be such a big shot
who could forgive people so much.
When he died everyone was mean.
Later on he rose when no one else was looking.
Either he was hiding or else
he went up.
Maybe he was only hiding?
Maybe he could fly?

Yesterday I found a purple crocus
blowing its way out of the snow.
It was all alone.
It was gеtting its work done.
Maybe Jesus was only gеtting his work done
and letting God blow him off the Cross
and maybe he was afraid for a minute
so he hid under the big stones.
He was smart to go to sleep up there
even though his mother got so sad
and let them put him in a cave.
I sat in a tunnel when I was five.
That tunnel, my mother said,
went straight into the big river
and so I never went again.
Maybe Jesus knew my tunnel
and crawled right through to the river
so he could wash all the blood off.
Maybe he only meant to get clean
and then come back again?
Don’t tell me that he went up in smoke
like Daddy’s cigar!
He didn’t blow out like a match!

It is special
being here at Easter
with the Cross they built like a capital T.
The ceiling is an upside-down rowboat.
I usually count its ribs.
Maybe he was drowning?
Or maybe we are all upside down?
I can see the face of a mouse inside
of all that stained-glass window.
Well, it could be a mouse!
Once I thought the Bunny Rabbit was special
and I hunted for eggs.
That’s when I was seven.
I’m grownup now. Now it’s really Jesus.
I just have to get Him straight.
And right now.

Who are we anyhow?
What do we belong to?
Are we a we?
I think that he rose
but I’m not quite sure
and they don’t really say
singing their Alleluia
in the churchy way.
Jesus was on that Cross.
After that they pounded nails into his hands.
After that, well, after that,
everyone wore hats
and then there was a big stone rolled away
and then almost everyone –
the ones who sit up straight –
looked at the ceiling.

Alleluia they sing.
They don’t know.
They don’t care if he was hiding or flying.
Well, it doesn’t matter how he got there.
It matters where he was going.
The important thing for me
is that I’m wearing white gloves.
I always sit straight.
I keep on looking at the ceiling.
And about Jesus,
they couldn’t be sure of it,
not so sure of it anyhow,
so they decided to become Protestants.
Those are the people that sing
when they aren’t quite
sure.
Credits
Anne Sexton

Anne Sexton

About “Protestant Easter” by Anne Sexton

Read the complete lyrics to "Protestant Easter" by Anne Sexton from the album "Selected Poems of Anne Sexton". On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Non-Music.

"Protestant Easter" is performed by Anne Sexton. from the album "Selected Poems of Anne Sexton" This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "Protestant Easter", explore more songs by Anne Sexton using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

View all songs and biography for Anne Sexton · Trending lyrics · Billboard Hot 100

Frequently asked questions

"Protestant Easter" is credited to Anne Sexton. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

"Protestant Easter" appears on "Selected Poems of Anne Sexton".

Visit the Anne Sexton artist page at /artist/anne-sexton for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.

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