"Bethlehem" lyrics

I saw three kings riding through the desert as the day begins
"We bring great joy to the birth of a baby boy
By the star we have been led
To this place," then someone said
"The people that you're looking for have never been here at all"

I saw two birds, one was a hawk, the other was a dove
One said, "I am war", the other one said, "I am love,"
As they flew up to the sky, they got too close to the sun
And with a flash of light the dove fell to the ground

Sometimes we never know, when it's time for letting go
Last night I heard them say "No!
We will never let that happen again!"
But it's a long, long way from here to Bethlehem
Yes it's a long, long way from here to Bethlehem

I heard one man saying that the lion can lay down with the lamb
But in the cage there's nothing left
The lion has gone and the lamb is dead
No one gets in or out, and to be heard they've got to shout
That the words of the Lord are written on the city walls

I saw Saint Paul talking to the devil, like the best of friends
They said "let's make a deal and bring this cursed war to an end"
As they stood there shaking hands
The Devil signed his name to the plan
After a couple of days there was nothing there at all

Sometimes we never know, when it's time for letting go
Last night I heard them say "No!
We will never let that happen again!"
But it's a long, long way from here to Bethlehem
Yes it's a long, long way from here to Bethlehem

Much has changed in the modern world
There's no time for the long ago
Many problems that we have
Are from the greatest story ever told

And it's a long, long way, to Bethlehem
It's a long, long way, to Bethlehem
It's a long, long way, to Bethlehem
It's a long, long way