[VOICE, spoken]
Stephen, if you want Absalom to live, tell him to plead not guilty. 

[STEPHEN]
What have I come to here at this crossing of paths?
Must he tell a lie and live, or speak truth and die?
And if this is so, what can I say to my son?
O Tixo, Tixo, help me!

Often when he was young, I have come to him and said
"Speak truly, evade nothing
What you have done, let it be on your head"
And he heeded me not at all
Like rain he ran through my hands
Concealing, as a boy will
Taking what was not his, evading commands
For he seemed to hear none of my words
Turning, shifting, he ran
Through a tangle of night and days
'Til he was lost to my sight
And ran far into evil and evil ways
And he was stricken and struck back
And he loved
And he was desperate with love and fear and anger
And at last he came to this
O God of the humble and broken
O God of those who have nothing, nothing, nothing, to this!
To the death of a man
To the death of a man
A man he had given to death
Then my words came back to him, and he said
"I shall do no more evil, tell no more untruth
I shall keep my father's ways and remember them"
And can I go to him now and say, "My son, take care
Tell no truth in this court, lest it go ill with you here
Keep to the rules. Beware!"
And yet if I say again, "It shall not profit a man
If he gain the whole world and lose his own soul"
I shall lose Absalom then!
I shall lose Absalom then!

(spoken)
I must find some other way
Some other hope
My son did not mean to kill his son
Did not mean to kill
(sung)
O Tixo, Tixo, help me!
(spoken)
What can I do?
To whom can I appeal?
(sung)
O Tixo, Tixo, help me!
(spoken)
Where can I turn now?
(sung)
O Tixo, Tixo, help me!