A Piece of Eight

[STORYTELLERS]
And Noah and his family worked
From sun to sun to sun
Till the day before the prow
He stood and said

[NOAH]
With this peg of gopher wood
Your ark, O Lord, is done

[STORYTELLERS]
With one final peg of gopher wood
The ark at last
Was done

And Noah called to his servant girl
Yonah was her name
He had always treated her kindly
Though she bore the mark of shame
As a daughter of the tainted race
She bore the mark of Cain

And she came and bowed, the servant girl
With the mark upon her head
And she asked

[YONAH]
What do you wish my lord?

[STORYTELLERS]
And this is what he said
He said

[NOAH]
Yonah, lay the table
For tonight we celebrate
And tonight instead of seven places
Tonight there will be eight

[STORYTELLERS]
Tonight instead of seven places
Tonight there would be eight

[STORYTELLERS]
For this was the night
The youngest son
Japheth was his name
Would bring to dinner his wife to be
And his choice proclaim
And the empty chair was meant for her
The girl to be his wife
Who would journey with him on the ark
To a post-diluvian life
He said

[JAPHETH]
Yonah lay the table
Don't forget the extra plate
For tonight instead of seven people
The family will be eight

[STORYTELLERS]
Tonight instead of seven people
Tonight there would be eight

First came Noah and his wife
In a bright and merry mood
Eager to meet their daughter-in-law
And share their home and food
And add her to their brood

Next there came the brothers two
Ham and Sham
And the daughters of the race of Seth
They chose to marry them
Their beautiful wives from the race of Seth
They brought along with them

[FAMILY]
Oh Father, for all we have received
We thank You
Once more we gather in the dying light

[YONAH]
Oh Father, for all I have received

[FAMILY]
Once more we pray you, Father
Bless us tonight

[YONAH]
I thank You

[STORYTELLERS]
And the courses came and the minutes passed
And the girl did not appear
Till Noah turned to Japheth and he said

[NOAH]
My son, I fear -

[STORYTELLERS]
But Japheth laughed and laughed some more
And told them all

[JAPHETH]
She's here!

[FEMALE STORYTELLER]
Well by now you've guessed
What happened next
For it's quite a familiar fable

[MALE STORYTELLER]
He went to Yonah, the servant girl
And led her to the table
He said

[JAPHETH]
Yonah, join the table
Come and sit here at my side
For it's you I love best in all the world
And you shall be my bride
It's you I love best in all the world
And I want you for my bride

[STORYTELLERS]
He brought Yonah to the table
And he did not hesitate
Though his father said to wait
And his mother was in a state
And the brothers and wives
Felt the shock of their lives
And they all of them dropped
Their forks and knives
For they all could calculate
The family was eight

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