Musical Career
The son of a British army officer, Alan moved to Rhodesia with his parents shortly before his fourteenth birthday. As a child he performed in various school musical activities but harboured no pretensions of being anything more than ordinary. He learnt to play guitar at fifteen and, after completing his schooling at Milton High in Bulawayo, trained and worked as a radiographer. As a hobby he sang in local pubs and hotels. It was during this period that Alan realised that he had a three-octave range in his voice. He formed a band in Bulawayo (see TABBRON TRIO) and penned his first seven single, a song called "Coloured Rain". He scored an immediate success with this tune as it raced up the Rhodesian record charts, peaking at Number 2.
With gathering confidence in his musical prospects, Alan gave up his occupation as a radiographer and landed a job as the resident vocalist at the Swaziland Holiday Inn in 1972. The well known Peter Lotis of Gallo records heard Alan perform at this venue and offered him a recording contract. At Peter's suggestion, Alan recorded "Put Your Hand In The Hand" and the song achieved instant success, quickly dominating the local charts. It also made Alan a household name. The song topped the Springbok Top 20 for four weeks and the Rhodesian charts for five. This run at No 1 started on 5 June, 1971.
In 1971 he was presented the Springbok Award as South Africa's 'Most Promising Male Vocalist'. In September, 1971, his first album predictably entitled "Put Your Hand In The Hand" was released.
His next chart success, "I Need Someone", held the record for over ten years as the song with the longest chart run on Springbok Radio's Top 20 hit parade. It spent 33 weeks on the charts between June 1972 and January 1973. This song - which peaked at No 2 on Springbok's Top 20 - earned him two Gold Discs, as well as the 1972 SARI Award as 'Best Song Of The Year'. In 1973, he won that year's award for 'Best LP Of The Year', as well as the SARI Award for 'Best Male Vocalist'.
"Home Isn't Home Anymore" was Alan's next chart entry, spending 16 weeks on Springbok's Top 20, peaking at No 5 in 1973. In December, 1973, he released his third album, "Goodbye Mama", which peaked at No 15 in January, 1974, spending 7 weeks on the Top 20. The single, "Give Me Back My Woman", from this album reached No 9 in the Top 20 in April, 1974, and was present on the charts for 10 weeks. In November, 1974, he released the album "Words and Music" having composed all the songs and lyrics himself.
In 1975 he won his second SARI Award as 'Best Male Vocalist' and succeeded in getting yet another song onto the charts - "She's My Woman". This release reached No 15.
In 1976, Alan's acting skills came to the fore when he took the lead role of Joseph in PACT's "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat", performing alongside well known artists such as Richard Loring, Jody Wayne and Wayne and Alvin Collison. This production toured extensively throughout South Africa and Rhodesia.
Hit singles continued to accumulate with "Santa Maria" reaching No 4 on the Springbok Top 20 in 1981, spending 11 weeks on the charts. Once again, in 1981, he garnered the SARI Awards for 'Best Male Vocalist', as well as 'Best Top Twenty Artist'. In April, 1982, he swan-songed the charts with "You Stood By Me" which reached No 18.
Since then Alan and his family have spent much of their time touring the world from their home in Manchester, England, although he maintained a home in Kleinmond as well. He continues to sing and is involved in cruise director's duties aboard luxury ocean liners.
Singles
Put Your Hand In The Hand (1971)
The Dream Waltz (1971)
Somehow, Somewhere (1971)
I Need Someone (1971)
Till The Rivers All Run Dry (1972)
Home Isn't Home Anymore (1972)
I'll Have To Dream (1973)
Goodbye Mama (1973)
Give Me Back My Woman (1974)
Look What You've Done (1974)
She's My Woman (1975)
Sunshine In My World (1976)
You're Losing Me (1980)
Santa Maria (1981)
You Stood By Me (1982)
Oh Louisa (1982)
Albums
Put Your Hand In The Hand (1971)
I Need Someone (1972)
Goodbye Mama (1973)
Alan Garrity & Pat Matthews (1973)
Words & Music (1974)
Feelings (1976)
Santa Maria (1981)
A Song For You (1982)
Christmas With Alan Garrity (1985)
Licensed To Sing (1989)
A Portrait Of Alan Garrity (1997)
Alan has had his music published and recorded overseas and his records have been released in Holland, Germany, Denmark, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil and Argentina.
SARIE Awards
1972 - Song Of The Year (I Need Someone)
1973 - Album Of The Year (I Need Someone)
1973 & 1975 - Best Male Vocalist
1981 - Top 20 Artist Of The Year (Santa Maria)
Put Your Hand in the Hand
Alan Garrity Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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 wanna tremble (Tremble)
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
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 we do what we must do
For we forget what he said and we figure that He'll still make room
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 sing you gotta put your
Hand in the hand of the man who stilled the water (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 puttin' your hand in the hand of the man from Galilee
The song "Put Your Hand in the Hand" by Alan Garrity is a gospel-inspired song that calls for listeners to look to Jesus, the "man from Galilee," for guidance and inspiration. The lyrics encourage people to take a closer look at themselves and strive to be better individuals by following the example of Jesus. The first two lines refer to Jesus' miracles of calming the sea and stilling the water, reminding listeners of his power and that they can trust him. The third and fourth lines remind listeners to practice empathy and compassion for others, which is a central teaching of Jesus.
The second verse of the song reflects on the hypocrisy of people who claim to follow Jesus, but fall short of his teachings. The allusion to the scripture about Jesus clearing the temple of merchants and money changers highlights the importance of living a pure and honest life as a follower of Christ. The final verse references the idea that people often assume they will be forgiven for their shortcomings or sins, but the song warns that people must put in the effort to actively be better versions of themselves.
Overall, the message of the song is one of hope and encouragement for people to strive for a better life by looking to Jesus as a guide and inspiration.
Line by Line Meaning
Put your hand in the hand of the man who stilled the water
Have faith in Jesus Christ, who performed a miracle by stilling the water, and let him guide you through life
Put your hand in the hand of the man who calmed the sea
Trust in Jesus, who has the power to calm even the most turbulent of seas, and let him lead you
Take a look at yourself and you can look at others differently
Once you connect with Jesus, you will see yourself and others from a different perspective and with more compassion
By puttin' your hand in the hand of the man from Galilee
By trusting in Jesus, who came from Galilee, you can find peace in your heart and soul
Every time I look into the Holy Book, I wanna tremble (Tremble)
Whenever I read the Bible, I feel overwhelmed and humbled by the teachings and the presence of God
When I read about the part where the carpenter cleared the temple (Temple)
When I read about how Jesus chased away the money changers from the temple, I am reminded that we should not prioritize material wealth over spiritual well-being
For the buyers and the sellers were no different fellas than what I profess to be
The people who were driven by greed and materialism in the temple were no different from me, and it is a reminder to stay humble and true to oneself
And it causes me shame to know we're not the people we should be
It is disappointing to realize that we, as humans, often fall short of our own expectations and of the standards set by God
My mama taught me how to pray before I reached the age of seven
My mother instilled in me the importance of prayer and connecting with God from a young age
She said, "There'll come a time when there'll probably be room in Heaven"
My mother told me that if we live a virtuous life, there will be a place for us in heaven
But I'm feeling kinda guilty 'bout the number of times we do what we must do
I feel remorseful for the times when we prioritize our own interests or justify our actions, even if they go against the teachings of God
For we forget what he said and we figure that He'll still make room
Sometimes we forget or ignore the teachings of God, thinking that we will still be granted a place in heaven, but it is important to actively live a virtuous life
Everybody sing you gotta put your
The song calls for everyone to join in and remind each other of the importance of trusting in Jesus
Hand in the hand of the man who stilled the water (Stilled the water)
The repetition of the chorus emphasizes the message to put our faith in Jesus, who performed the miracle of stilling the water
Put your hand in the hand of the man who calmed the sea (Who calmed the sea)
Jesus has the power to calm even the most turbulent of seas in our lives, and we should trust in Him to guide us through difficult times
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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