[Title: THE ASS SAW HIM FIRST] [Verse 1] Balaam saddled up his ass And headed down the way But standing right before them Was someone Balaam could not see The angel of the LORD Was standing in the way HIS SWORD DRAWN IN HIS HAND The ass saw him Balaam didn't She turned aside Into the field And Balaam smote the ass To turn her back again The prophet kept pushing The ass kept seeing THE ASS SAW HIM FIRST [Chorus] WHAT DID THE ASS SEE FIRST? THE ANGEL OF THE LORD! WHAT WAS IN HIS HAND? A DRAWN SWORD! WHO SAW HIM FIRST? THE ASS! WHO COULD NOT SEE HIM? BALAAM! THE PROPHET KEPT PUSHING THE ASS KEPT SEEING THE ANGEL OF THE LORD STOOD IN THE WAY WITH HIS SWORD DRAWN IN HIS HAND THE ASS SAW HIM FIRST! [Verse 2] Then the angel of the LORD Stood in a path between the vineyard walls A wall on this side A wall on that The ass saw the angel of the LORD She thrust herself against the wall And crushed Balaam's foot So Balaam smote her again Still he couldn't see him Then the angel went farther And stood in a narrow place No way to turn right No way to turn left The ass saw the angel of the LORD And fell down under Balaam And Balaam's anger was kindled He smote the ass with a staff The man who couldn't see him Was beating the creature WHO COULD [Chorus] WHAT DID THE ASS SEE FIRST? THE ANGEL OF THE LORD! WHAT WAS IN HIS HAND? A DRAWN SWORD! WHO SAW HIM FIRST? THE ASS! WHO COULD NOT SEE HIM? BALAAM! THREE TIMES SHE SAW HIM THREE TIMES HE DIDN'T THE PROPHET KEPT STRIKING THE ASS KEPT SEEING THE ASS SAW HIM FIRST! [Verse 3] “And the LORD opened the mouth of the ass” Now the creature Balaam kept beating SPOKE “What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?” Stop right there A prophet arguing with an ass And the ass has the better question Balaam wanted a sword in his own hand But there was already a drawn sword standing in the road HE JUST COULDN'T SEE HIM [Bridge] WHO SAW THE ANGEL? THE ASS! WHO SAW HIS SWORD? THE ASS! WHO OPENED HER MOUTH? THE LORD! WHO HAD TO HAVE HIS EYES OPENED? BALAAM! “Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam” AND THEN— HE SAW HIM The angel of the LORD Standing in the way His sword drawn in his hand THE ASS SAW HIM THE ASS SPOKE THEN THE PROPHET SAW HIM [Verse 4] And the angel said to Balaam “Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times?” The beating wasn't hidden The blindness wasn't hidden The LORD knew who had seen him And who had not The ass turned from the sword three times And the angel said— “unless she had turned from me, surely now also I had slain thee, and saved her alive.” THE ASS WAS NOT THE PROBLEM She saw the angel She saw his sword She turned away And the man upon her back kept punishing her for seeing whom he could not [Final Chorus] WHAT DID THE ASS SEE FIRST? THE ANGEL OF THE LORD! WHAT WAS IN HIS HAND? A DRAWN SWORD! WHO SAW HIM FIRST? THE ASS! WHO COULD NOT SEE HIM? BALAAM! WHO OPENED HIS EYES? THE LORD! THE ASS SAW HIM THE ASS SPOKE THEN THE PROPHET SAW HIM THE ASS SAW HIM THE ASS SPOKE THEN THE PROPHET SAW HIM DON'T BEAT WHAT YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND DON'T DESPISE THE VESSEL GOD CAN USE BECAUSE THE MAN WITH THE TITLE MAY STILL NEED HIS EYES OPENED [Outro] Peter remembered it “The dumb ass speaking with man's voice forbad the madness of the prophet.” THE MADNESS OF THE PROPHET Read it again The ass saw the angel of the LORD She saw his drawn sword The LORD opened her mouth Then the LORD opened Balaam's eyes THE ASS SAW HIM FIRST JESUS IS THE LORD
