Surrexit (1988)

Quem quæritis in sepulchro, o christicolæ?
Jesum Nazarenum Cruficixum, o cælicolæ
Non est hic—surrexit
Ite, nunciate surrexit de sepulchro quia prædixerat
Alleluia

I came here just to find a fortress wall to hide behind
But when I looked around the wall had tumbled to the ground
And the strangers came
I came here looking for my book of rules and laws
But when I turned my head my book was torn to shreds
And the strangers came
And the strangers came

See those signal fires on the beach
Hear those singers in the sand
Hear them singing so sweet and so strong
But the words to the song I can’t understand

Each time I’m satisfied I find a stranger by my side
There’s no respite, there’s no escape
I just can’t get away from the light they shine
From the light they shine

See those signal fires on the beach
Hear those singers in the sand
Hear them singing so sweet and so strong

But the words to the song I can’t understand
I came here looking for the body of my Lord
I heard a stranger say the stone was rolled away
Surrexit

Composed: Fortuna, California and Eugene, Oregon, June 1988

First Public Performance: Barnes and Noble, Oak Brook, Illinois, Spring 1993

Notes: The words to the opening chant are taken from the Easter trope known as the “Quem Quæritis”:

Whom do you seek in the tomb, o Christians?
Jesus the Nazarene, the crucified, o heavenly ones
He is not here—he is risen
Go, announce that he is risen from the tomb as he foretold

I discovered that if you strike a chord on a 12-string and then turn up the volume as you let it ring, it sounds like an organ. That’s where my studio creativity begins and ends.

Recording: David Frantz and Lee Krähenbühl, Living Room (2006)

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