Head was born in London to parents Seafield Head, (1919-2009) a documentary-maker, and Helen Shingler, an actress (1919-2019). His younger brother is Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Little Britain star Anthony Stewart Head.
Head began acting and writing songs as a child, and by the mid-1960s had a London recording contract. He had limited success (although some of his early singles now appear on mod/psych compilations, enjoying a cult status) until he was selected by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber to play Judas Iscariot on the original album version of Jesus Christ Superstar. At around the same time he won a leading role in the Oscar-winning Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971), alongside Peter Finch and Glenda Jackson. Despite these successes, he received little public attention in the next ten years (save for 1975's Say It Ain't So Joe), reappearing in the spotlight in 1984 as the star of the musical, Chess. The song "One Night in Bangkok", from Chess, featuring Head on lead vocal, became a radio hit.
After his 1984 hit "One Night In Bangkok", Head has had little attention internationally. Fluent in French, he has released some albums in that language, notably the song "Une femme un homme", a duet with Marie Carmen released in 1993 which became a radio hit in French-speaking Canada.
Some of his most recent work was in Luc Plamondon's musical comedy Cindy, in which he played Cindy's father.
Head is currently playing a character on ITV's Heartbeat.
The Arrest
Murray Head Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There he is
They're all asleep, the fools
(Jesus)
Judas, must you betray me
With a kiss?
What's the buzz
Tell me what's happening
Hang on Lord
We're gonna fight for you
(Jesus)
Put away your sword
Don't you know that it's all over
It was nice but now it's gone
Why are you obsessed with fighting?
Stick to fishing from now on
(Crowd)
Tell me Christ how you feel tonight
Do you plan to put up a fight?
Do you feel that you've had the breaks?
What would you say were your big mistakes?
Do you think that you may retire?
Did you think you would get much higher?
How do you view your coming trial?
Have your men proved all worthwhile?
Come with us to see Caiaphas
You'll just love the high priest's house
You'll just love seeing Caiaphas
You'll just die in the high priest's house
Come on God this is not like you
Let us know what you're gonna do
You know what your supporters feel
You'll escape in the final reel
Tell me Christ how you feel tonight
Do you plan to put up a fight?
Do you feel that you've had the breaks?
What would you say were your big mistakes?
Come with us to see Caiaphas
You just love the high priest's house
You just love seeing Caiaphas
You'll just die in the high priest's house
Now we have him, now we got him
Now we have him, now we got him
(Caiaphas)
Jesus you must realize
The serious charges facing you
You say you're the son of God
In all your handouts
Well is it true?
(Jesus)
That's what you say
You say that I am
The Arrest by Murray Head is a song that depicts the events leading up to the arrest of Jesus Christ. The song starts with Judas Iscariot leading the soldiers to where Jesus and his disciples were, and then Judas kisses Jesus to identify him to the soldiers. As Jesus is being arrested, his disciples become agitated and want to fight back, but Jesus calms them down and tells them to put away their weapons. The crowd taunts Jesus with questions about why he didn't fight back and whether he thinks he made mistakes. The song ends with the high priest, Caiaphas, questioning Jesus about his claims of being the son of God.
The lyrics of The Arrest explore the themes of betrayal, sacrifice, and the ultimate question of Jesus' divinity. The song also delves into the emotions and reactions of the people around Jesus during his arrest, particularly his disciples who were torn between wanting to protect their leader and wanting to obey his teachings of non-violence. The character of Judas is also explored in the song, as he is seen as a traitor to Jesus and a fool for not realizing the gravity of his actions.
Overall, The Arrest is a powerful and thought-provoking song that takes the listener on a journey back in time to witness one of the most significant events in human history.
Line by Line Meaning
(Judas)
There he is
They're all asleep, the fools
Judas has found Jesus while everyone else is asleep, and he is about to betray him.
(Jesus)
Judas, must you betray me
With a kiss?
Jesus is asking Judas if he really has to betray him with a kiss.
(Peter and Apostles)
What's the buzz
Tell me what's happening
Hang on Lord
We're gonna fight for you
The apostles are asking Jesus what's happening, and they pledge to fight for him.
(Jesus)
Put away your sword
Don't you know that it's all over
It was nice but now it's gone
Why are you obsessed with fighting?
Stick to fishing from now on
Jesus tells Peter to put away his sword and stop fighting, as it's all over now, and he advises him to return to his trade of fishing.
(Crowd)
Tell me Christ how you feel tonight
Do you plan to put up a fight?
Do you feel that you've had the breaks?
What would you say were your big mistakes?
Do you think that you may retire?
Did you think you would get much higher?
How do you view your coming trial?
Have your men proved all worthwhile?
The crowd is asking Jesus how he feels and if he plans to fight or retire, and they question what his big mistakes were and if his followers were worthwhile.
Come with us to see Caiaphas
You'll just love the high priest's house
You'll just love seeing Caiaphas
You'll just die in the high priest's house
The crowd invites Jesus to see Caiaphas, but Jesus will be killed in the high priest's house.
Come on God this is not like you
Let us know what you're gonna do
You know what your supporters feel
You'll escape in the final reel
The crowd pleas with Jesus to let them know what he's going to do and they think he'll escape in the final reel, just like a movie.
(Caiaphas)
Jesus you must realize
The serious charges facing you
You say you're the son of God
In all your handouts
Well is it true?
Caiaphas informs Jesus of the serious charges he's facing and asks him if he really is the son of God.
(Jesus)
That's what you say
You say that I am
Jesus acknowledges that Caiaphas has accused him of being the son of God, but he doesn't deny it.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER, TIM RICE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind