There are no recorded lines of speech of St. Joseph in the Bible. None! He’s the very definition of the strong and silent type. He actually probably did talk throughout his life and we’re sure his words were holy and loving, but we don’t know them. So, instead, here are some song lyrics that he probably would’ve sang at certain points in his life with Jesus and Mary, if he was the singing type.
Betrothal of Mary and Joseph
This was a very joyous time for them!
“I’ll be the man who will fight for your honor. I’ll be the hero that you’re dreaming of. Gonna live forever, knowing together that we did it all for the glory of love.” Can you not just hear him singing this classic song by Peter Cetera?! He was such a pure and holy man that there’s no doubt he would’ve made a similar statement of his fidelity and devotion to Mary.
The first time an angel spoke to him in a dream
Almost immediately, Joseph was tested when he found out that Mary was with child. What a wrench in the happy plans of a normal life! So the angel Gabriel came to Joseph like he’d come to Mary. The angel told him it was okay to marry Mary, how she conceived the child, and what he was to name him.
In this situation, St. Joseph probably would’ve woken up and gone straight to Mary, singing, “Cause I’ll stand beside you through the years, You’ll only cry those happy tears, And though I make mistakes, I’ll never break your heart. And I swear by the moon and the stars in the sky, I’ll be there. I swear like a shadow that’s by your side, I’ll be there,” from the song “I Swear” by All-4-One.
The Nativity
The moment Jesus Christ was actualized for St. Joseph is when he came forth from Mary’s womb and into our world. Like any dad witnessing the birth of their first child, St. Joseph was probably overcome with emotion.
The words of Amy Grant come to mind as ones that would’ve flowed from St. Joseph’s mouth: “Baby, baby, I’m taken with the notion to love you with the sweetest of devotion. Baby, baby, my tender love will flow from the bluest sky to the deepest ocean. Stop for a minute. Baby, I’m so glad you’re mine. And ever since the day you put my heart in motion, Baby I realize that there’s just no getting over you.”
The second time the angel came to him in a dream
This is when Joseph was told to take the mother and child and flee to Egypt so they would be safe from Herod.
Though it was a scary time, I imagine St. Joseph saying something like these lyrics from the song “Where You Lead” by Carole King: “And I would go to the ends of the earth. ‘Cause, darling, to me that’s what you’re worth. Where you lead, I will follow anywhere that you tell me to. If you need, you need me to be with you, I will follow where you lead.”
The third time an angel spoke to him in a dream
This time, Joseph was told it was safe and that he was to take Mary and Jesus back to Israel, to his homeland. He must have been really excited! They didn’t have to live in fear anymore and he could go back to where he belonged.
Maxine Nightingale’s lyrics in “Right Back Where We Started From” capture well St. Joseph’s excitement: “Ooh, and it’s alright and it’s coming on. We gotta get right back to where we started from. Love is good, love can be strong. We gotta get right back to where we started from.”
Then they had to go to Nazareth instead!
That was probably so disappointing, both in that they no longer got to go home but that Jesus was still threatened. Joseph was probably so emotionally and mentally exhausted.
But, he was glad to have a safe place to go and make their dwelling. They lived a good life in Nazareth! And really, that’s what matters. I can imagine St. Joseph really digging the song “Simple Song” by the Shins but here’s a selection from it that he might’ve hummed: “Well this is just a simple song to say what you done. I told you about all those fears and away they did run. You sure must be strong and you feel like an ocean being warmed by the sun. I know that things can really get rough when you go it alone.
Don’t go thinking you gotta be tough, to play like a stone. Could be there’s nothing else in our lives so critical as this little hole.
What other songs do you think fit in with the life and times of St. Joseph?
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