Joseph’s Brothers

Artwork: Newton Hall Infant School Pupils

 

The story of Joseph is one of the most interesting and colourful tales in the Old Testament. His life is recorded in such great detail, and many songs about him have been written in a whole variety of styles.

 

 

 

 

(He was his father’s favourite, he was given a special gift and they weren’t; he was also rather full of himself, and boasted about his special dreams)

 

 

Have you ever tried to write ‘rap’ music like this? It’s fun! Why not read the whole story of Joseph and choose a small part so you can try to write one of your own verses.

Look for similarities between the life of Joseph and the life of Jesus.

e.g.

 

How many can you find?

10 Joseph’s Brothers: Genesis Ch 37-47

(verses to the tune  ‘Horsey Horsey’)

 

Joseph’s brothers they were grim;

sent him off to Egypt ‘cos they didn’t like him.

But God had a plan ~ a very great plan,

to save him and his family.

 

Why you might ask did his brothers hate him?

Why just walk away and not save him?

The reason why was jealousy.

He was daddy’s favourite, the bee’s knees!

Not only that, he’d been having dreams.

Dreams of greatness so it seems.

And that is the reason why they hated him,

that is the reason  I say ‘grim’.

 

So off he went and he served God well.

It wasn’t very nice in a prison cell,

 But God had a plan ~ a very great plan,

to save him and his family.

 

Why you might ask was he there in jail?

Why should a good boy like him fail?

False accusations put him there,

false they were and it wasn’t fair!

But inside prison his gifts he practised,

Interpretin’ dreams of those who asked him.

But even though he served God well,

he spent more years in that prison cell!

 

Now we go to the other extreme,

he helped Pharaoh with his dreams,

and God had a plan ~ a very great plan,

to save him and his family.

 

So how come Joseph got to be free?

A butler spoke for him you see.

Pharaoh was having these dreams so vile,

lean cows,  fat cows by the Nile;

of healthy corn eaten up by withered.

All these dreams made Pharaoh shiver,

all of these dreams Joseph examined,

Said, “King, there’s gonna be a famine!”

Pharaoh was grateful, by and large

Then and there, put him in charge,

for God had a plan ~ a very great plan,

To save him and his family.

 

Joseph was given auth-or-ity,

Pharaoh was the only one greater than he!

He stored up grain just as expected,

people bowed before him, he was so respected.

Storehouses sprang up everywhere,

before the land turned dry and bare!

Seven years of plenty, then seven years of famine,

But Joseph stayed on top of all the admin.

 

Then came the famine and it wasn’t good

But Joseph stored up lots of food,

See God had a plan ~ a very great plan,

to save him and his family.

 

What you might ask did his family do,

When the famine hit his homeland too?

Like many families way out there

they were hungry, caught out in despair.

The starving, the desperate to Egypt came.

Joseph’s plans brought the city fame.

For all travelled there to beg for their grain,

from the only man around who could actually save them.

 

Then his brothers came on by.

They were hungry and their mouths were dry,

But Joseph didn’t blame them, and he told them how

God had saved their family.

 

His older brothers before him came,

begging for food, so Joseph played a game.

Called them spies, used tricks to upset them.

Wouldn’t you done it, just to get back at them?

To cut a story short, when he told them who he was,

you could have heard a pin drop; that’s because

they recalled their terrible deed.

 But when Joseph forgave them,

 they were so relieved!

 

You see God had a plan to save him and his family.

 

© words Sheila Hamil 2011

www.sheilahamil.co.uk

Cattle:  Sheila Hamil

 

Why not try out this song yourselves in either a group or with soloists.  Movement and dance could be introduced too, individually or in groups.