The Last Supper
ALSO RELEASED ON: Live At The Way Inn - 1970
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Version 1: Capitol / Beechwood mix
The stereo image is reversed on We Wish You A Larry Christmas |
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Version 2 is an almost if not entirely different recording, much less orchestrated and with re-sung vocals. There are some minor lyrical differences, and it is almost a full minute longer - the Larry Norman mix
Note: the South African Impact LP, Kingsway Right Price cassette and Kingsway CD reverse the stereo image. Note also that the end of The Last Supper as it transitions to I Wish We'd All Been Ready is fractionally shortened on the Kingsway CD, and thus also on the Radio Promo and Illegal Noise CDs |
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Version 3 is the same recording as version 1, but faded out about two seconds earlier
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Upon This Rock [Radio Promo and Illegal Noise CD versions]
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Version 4 is the same recording as version 1, but edited and in mono, and with Larry talking over a section of it. This is from a 1970 radio broadcast
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Upon This Rock [Collector's Edition CD, 2002]
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lyrics versions 1 and 3
There was a pig on the table
With a fig in his mouth
And a snake crawled around the plate
And when the wine turned to water
And the bread turned to dust
I knew I'd arrived too late
It was the last supper
A seven course meal for the soul
It was the last supper
But I was the last to know
I saw my name in a book
That lay in front of the veil
With a key in between the pages
And when I unlocked the door
I found a hall full of mirrors
And I saw my life in stages
It was the last supper
And a snake crawled around the plate
It was the last supper
And I knew I'd arrived too late
Ah ah ah ah ah ah
Ah ah ah
Last night I came to the gate
With invitation in hand
And my old life left behind
I came as soon as he called
But long before I had planned
Still I came prepared to dine
It was the last supper
And a snake crawled around the plate
It was the last supper
And I knew I'd arrived too late
With a fig in his mouth
And a snake crawled around the plate
And when the wine turned to water
And the bread turned to dust
I knew I'd arrived too late
It was the last supper
A seven course meal for the soul
It was the last supper
But I was the last to know
I saw my name in a book
That lay in front of the veil
With a key in between the pages
And when I unlocked the door
I found a hall full of mirrors
And I saw my life in stages
It was the last supper
And a snake crawled around the plate
It was the last supper
And I knew I'd arrived too late
Ah ah ah ah ah ah
Ah ah ah
Last night I came to the gate
With invitation in hand
And my old life left behind
I came as soon as he called
But long before I had planned
Still I came prepared to dine
It was the last supper
And a snake crawled around the plate
It was the last supper
And I knew I'd arrived too late
lyrics version 2
There was a pig on the table
With a fig in his mouth
And a snake crawled around the plate
And when the wine turned to water
And the bread turned to dust
I knew I'd arrived too late
It was the last supper
A seven course meal for the soul
It was the last supper
And I was the last to know
I saw my name in the book
That lay in front of the veil
With the key in between the pages
And when I unlocked the door
I found a hall full of mirrors
And I saw my life in stages
It was the last supper
And a snake crawled around the plate
It was the last supper
And I knew I'd arrived too late
Last night I came to the gates
With invitation in hand
And my old life left behind
I came as soon as he called
But long before I had planned
Still I came prepared to dine
It was the last supper
A snake crawled around the plate
It was the last supper
And I knew I'd arrived too late
With a fig in his mouth
And a snake crawled around the plate
And when the wine turned to water
And the bread turned to dust
I knew I'd arrived too late
It was the last supper
A seven course meal for the soul
It was the last supper
And I was the last to know
I saw my name in the book
That lay in front of the veil
With the key in between the pages
And when I unlocked the door
I found a hall full of mirrors
And I saw my life in stages
It was the last supper
And a snake crawled around the plate
It was the last supper
And I knew I'd arrived too late
Last night I came to the gates
With invitation in hand
And my old life left behind
I came as soon as he called
But long before I had planned
Still I came prepared to dine
It was the last supper
A snake crawled around the plate
It was the last supper
And I knew I'd arrived too late
lyrics version 4
Line [Tag end, continued from preceding track]
You've all seen reproductions of Da Vinci's painting of The Last Supper. Larry Norman paints it differently [Spoken by host]
There was a pig on the table
With a fig in his mouth
And a snake crawled around the plate
And when the wine turned to water
And the bread turned to dust
I knew I'd arrived too late
It was the last supper
A seven course meal for the soul
It was the last supper
But I was the last to know
I saw my name in a book
That lay in front of the veil
With a key in between the pages
And when I unlocked the door
I found a hall full of mirrors
And I saw my life in stages
It was the last supper
And a snake crawled around the plate
It was the last supper
And I knew I'd arrived too late
Ah ah ah ah ah ah
Ah ah ah
Last night I came to the gate
With invitation in hand
And my old life left behind
I came as soon as he called
But long before I had planned
Still I came prepared to dine
It was the last supper
And a snake crawled around the plate
It was the
[Music continues at reduced volume]
Larry, you've put together some pretty weird and somewhat scary lyrics there. What's it all about? [Spoken by host]
I know what it means to me Lee, but everyone who hears the song comes up and they tell me what the song means to them and they've all got a different story. Perhaps this is a, one of those art pieces like a, a crazy painting on the wall [Spoken by Larry]
Last supper
And I knew I'd arrived too late
You've all seen reproductions of Da Vinci's painting of The Last Supper. Larry Norman paints it differently [Spoken by host]
There was a pig on the table
With a fig in his mouth
And a snake crawled around the plate
And when the wine turned to water
And the bread turned to dust
I knew I'd arrived too late
It was the last supper
A seven course meal for the soul
It was the last supper
But I was the last to know
I saw my name in a book
That lay in front of the veil
With a key in between the pages
And when I unlocked the door
I found a hall full of mirrors
And I saw my life in stages
It was the last supper
And a snake crawled around the plate
It was the last supper
And I knew I'd arrived too late
Ah ah ah ah ah ah
Ah ah ah
Last night I came to the gate
With invitation in hand
And my old life left behind
I came as soon as he called
But long before I had planned
Still I came prepared to dine
It was the last supper
And a snake crawled around the plate
It was the
[Music continues at reduced volume]
Larry, you've put together some pretty weird and somewhat scary lyrics there. What's it all about? [Spoken by host]
I know what it means to me Lee, but everyone who hears the song comes up and they tell me what the song means to them and they've all got a different story. Perhaps this is a, one of those art pieces like a, a crazy painting on the wall [Spoken by Larry]
Last supper
And I knew I'd arrived too late
This song is about a man who believes that he is in Heaven, only to discover that he is quite definitely not. Musically, I felt blessed when writing this. It seemed that quite by accident I had stumbled onto the right sequence of notes which worked with two separate four chord sequences as I sang:
"It was the last supper" (a seven course meal for the soul)
"It was the last supper (and I was the last to know)
Both sequences ended with suspension chords and created tension and drama that I would never have thought to attempt. And the story itself was really told backwards. To understand the song's meaning upon the first hearing, you would be more rewarded by reading the verses in the reverse order. So I quite liked the way the song came out, remaining a puzzle which required some thought.
"It was the last supper" (a seven course meal for the soul)
"It was the last supper (and I was the last to know)
Both sequences ended with suspension chords and created tension and drama that I would never have thought to attempt. And the story itself was really told backwards. To understand the song's meaning upon the first hearing, you would be more rewarded by reading the verses in the reverse order. So I quite liked the way the song came out, remaining a puzzle which required some thought.