“The Story Behind the Song!”
“Put Your Hand in the Hand”
(of the Man from Galilee)
Compiled and Edited By
Roger D Duke
Hear Ocean Sing Their Hit Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nh4Y9lT75Kw
This song is by Ocean and appears on the album Put Your Hand In The Hand (1971) and on the compilation Super Hits of the '70s: Have a Nice Day, Vol. 4 (1990).
“The Story Behind the Song”
There are various accounts in the New Testament where our Lord Jesus Christ cleansed the Temple from those who were buying and selling. (See: Matthew 21: 12-17, Mark 11: 15-19, Luke 19:45-46, and John 2:13-22.) This is the context in which “Put Your Hand in the Hand (of the Man from Galilee)” was set. The song was written by Gene MacLellan and was one of the more popular songs of the “Jesus Rock” movement of the 1970s.
The song is written and sung in the first person and gives what seems to be a personal testimony. Janice Morgan, lead singer for Ocean confesses; there is no difference between her and the sinners of the Bible. The lyrics recall when Jesus, who worked as a carpenter, chastised merchants for selling goods in the temple. The chorus further recalls when Jesus calmed the sea. (See: Matthew 8:23-27, Mark 4:35-41, and Luke 8:22-25.) During a storm that threatened to overturn their boat, the panicked apostles woke Jesus and begged him for help. Jesus did not see what all the fuss was about and simply commanded the waves to be still. He asked his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?"
Ocean was not a gospel group se and did not feel a strong connection to the religious aspect of the song. According to Greg Brown, they were hesitant to even release the single. "We were concerned that it might give the group a gospel image," he explained in the book Axes, Chops, and Hot Licks. They were right. The group was typecast as a gospel rock band thanks to their Jesus-themed debut hit.
There were various other artists who recorded this “Jesus Rock” Top 40s hit. The song was recorded by: Anne Murray, Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Joan Baez, Frankie Laine, among others. Each recorded it in their own inimitable way and put their stamp on it. But the most recognizable recording was Ocean’s “Put Your Hand in the Hand.”
Hear Ocean Sing Their Hit Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nh4Y9lT75Kw
This song is by Ocean and appears on the album Put Your Hand In The Hand (1971) and on the compilation Super Hits of the '70s: Have a Nice Day, Vol. 4 (1990).
Lyrics: “Put Your Hand in the Hand” (of the Man from Galilee)
Put your hand in the hand of the man who stilled the water
Put your hand in the hand of the man who calmed the sea
Take a look at yourself and you can look at others differently
By puttin' your hand in the hand of the man from Galilee
Every time I look into the Holy Book I want to tremble (tremble)
Or when I read about the part where the carpenter cleared the temple (temple)
For the buyers and the sellers were no different fellas than what I profess to be
And it causes me shame to know we're not the people we should be
So, put your hand in the hand of the man who stilled the water
Put your hand in the hand of the man who calmed the sea
Take a look at yourself and you can look at others differently
By puttin' your hand in the hand of the man from Galilee
My mama taught me how to pray before I reached the age of seven
She said, "there'll come a time when there'll probably be room in heaven"
But I'm feeling kinda guilty 'bout the number of times to do what we must do
But we forget what he said, then we figure that he'll still make room
My daddy lived his life with two kids and a wife And you've got to do what you've got to do But he showed me enough of what it takes to see you through This is what he used to tell me
So, you gotta put your hand in the hand of the man who stilled the water
Put your hand in the hand of the man who calmed the sea
Take a look at yourself and you can look at others differently
By puttin' your hand in the hand of the man from Galilee
Everybody come along
Put your hand in the hand of the man who stilled the water (Who stilled the water)
Put your hand in the hand of the man who calmed the sea (Who calmed the sea)
Take a look at yourself and you can look at others differently
By putting your hand in the hand of the man from Galilee.
Hear Ocean Sing Their Hit Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nh4Y9lT75Kw
This song is by Ocean and appears on the album Put Your Hand In The Hand (1971) and on the compilation Super Hits of the '70s: Have a Nice Day, Vol. 4 (1990).
Sources Consulted:
A. https://lyrics.fandom.com/wiki/Ocean:Put_Your_Hand_In_The_Hand and https://www.songfacts.com/lyrics/ocean/put-your-hand-in-the-hand