Saint Nicolas, Op 42: Nicolas and the Pickled Boys

CHORUS Famine tracks us down the lanes hunger holds our horses' reins winter heaps the roads with snow O we have far to go! Starving beggars howl their cry snarl to see us spurring by times are bad and travel slow O we have far to go! SOPRANOS (IN GALLERY) We mourn our boys, our missing sons! We sorrow for three little ones! Timothy, Mark and John are gone, are gone! CHORUS Landlord, take this piece of gold! Bring us food before the cold makes our pangs of hunger grow O we have far to go! ALTOS (IN GALLERY) Day by day we seek to find some trace of them but oh! Unkind! Timothy, Mark and John are gone, are gone! CHORUS Let us share this dish of meat Come, my friends, sit down and eat! Join us, Bishop, for we know that you have far to go! SOPRANOS & ALTOS (IN GALLERY) Mary meek and Mother mild who lost thy Jesus as a child our Timothy, Mark and John are gone, are gone! CHORUS Come, your Grace, don't eat so slow! Take some meat! NICOLAS O do not taste! O do not feed on sin! But haste to save three souls in need! The mothers' cry is sad and weak within these walls they lie whom mothers sadly seek. Timothy, Mark and John put your fleshly garments on! Come from dark oblivion! Come! CHORUS See! Three boys spring back to life who, slaughtered by the butcher's knife lay salted down! And entering, hand in hand they stand and sing THREE SMALL BOYS, GALLERY & CHORUS Alleluia to their King!