Riley, who worked as a nurse for handicapped children for ten years before beginning her singing career, topped the R&B charts and hit the Top 40 on the pop chart at #32 with the 1988 heart-stirring ballad, "Thanks for My Child," a song written by Full Force. The genesis of "Thanks for My Child" began with Full Force member Bowlegged Lou's experience with the complications of his wife's first pregnancy.
As pivotal as "Thanks for My Child" was for Riley's career, it was not the first song Lou offered to her. She refused his offer to record "I Wonder If I Take You Home" because she did not want to spread herself too thin, but after it became a million-selling hit for Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam in 1985, she thought she had missed her big break. She considered herself "the biggest loser ever". Then Lou offered her "Thanks for My Child". Riley still had her nurse's job when the song went to number one on the R&B chart.
"Thanks for My Child" spent just one week on the UK charts at #75. As this is the shortest time it is possible to spend in the charts at the lowest possible position to be considered a "hit", the Guiness Book of Hit Singles lists Riley as one of the UK's least successful chart acts.
The title track single to her debut LP Me Myself and I made it to number 18 on the R&B charts in early 1989. Another single, "Every Little Thing About You," peaked at number 55 on the R&B charts later that year. Her second LP, Chapters, was issued and yielded the singles "How Can You Hurt the One You Love" and a cover of Aretha Franklin's 1968 hit "Ain't No Way". Her third album All That! was released by Reprise, and featured the singles "Gimme" and "Guess I'm in Love."
After a hiatus from the entertainment industry, Riley re-emerged in the early 2000s as a star in a number of gospel plays for best-selling playwright Tyler Perry, including Madea's Class Reunion, Madea Goes to Jail, Why Did I Get Married?, and the film version of Diary of a Mad Black Woman. On June 27, 2006, she relesed her first album in 14 years called "Let Me Be Me".
She has a husband named Michael Grace and a son named Johnny.
One of Us
Cheryl Pepsii Riley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If God had a name, what would it be
And would we call it 2 His face
If we were faced with him and all his glory?
What would you ask if you had just one question?
Yeah, yeah, God is great
Yeah, yeah, God is good
[Chorus:]
What if God was one of us?
Just a slave like one of us?
Just a stranger on the bus
Trying to make his way home
If God had a face, what would it look like
And would you want to see it
If seeing meant that you would have to believe in things like heaven
And Jesus and the saints and all the prophets?
Yeah, yeah, God is great
Yeah, yeah, God is good
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!
Yeah
Yeah, yeah, God is great
Yeah, yeah, God is good
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!
What if God was one of us?
Just a slob (slave) like one of us?
Just a stranger on the bus
Trying to make his way home
Like a holy rolling stone
Back up to heaven all alone
Nobody calling on the phone
'Except for the Pope maybe in Rome
But He ain't home, he ain't home, he ain't home!
No, no, no, He ain't home!
Oh yeah, oh!
(What if God was one us?)
The lyrics to Cheryl Pepsii Riley's song "One of Us" explore the concept of God and what it would be like if they were one of us, just a regular person trying to make their way through life. The chorus repeats the question "What if God was one of us?" and imagines God as a stranger on the bus or a slob like one of us. The lyrics also ask about what God's face would look like and whether we would want to see it, and whether we would have to believe in heaven, Jesus, and the saints in order to see it.
The song invites listeners to consider their own beliefs and relationship with God, challenging them to think about how they would act if they came face to face with God. Additionally, the song highlights the idea that God is not necessarily a distant, unapproachable figure, but rather someone who could be right next to us in everyday life.
Line by Line Meaning
If God had a name, what would it be
If we knew God as an actual entity, what would we call it?
And would we call it 2 His face
If we were in God's presence, would we address God by name?
If we were faced with him and all his glory?
If we were confronted with God's true form and magnificence, what would we do?
What would you ask if you had just one question?
If you could only ask God one question, what would it be?
Yeah, yeah, God is great
God is undoubtedly powerful and worthy of awe and respect
Yeah, yeah, God is good
God is also benevolent and kind to all of us
What if God was one of us?
What if God existed in the same limited form as us humans?
Just a slave like one of us?
Would God be able to relate to us if it experienced the same oppression and limitations as we do?
Just a stranger on the bus
Trying to make his way home
Could we recognize God in the guise of an ordinary, everyday person just trying to make their way through life?
If God had a face, what would it look like
If God existed in a physical form, what would it resemble?
And would you want to see it
Would you truly want to lay eyes on the face of God and comprehend its divine nature?
If seeing meant that you would have to believe in things like heaven
And Jesus and the saints and all the prophets?
Would you still opt to experience the sight of God's face even if it indicated you had to acknowledge the legitimacy of religious doctrine?
Like a holy rolling stone
Back up to heaven all alone
Like a celestial wanderer, God could depart to the heavens whenever it wished
Nobody calling on the phone
'Except for the Pope maybe in Rome
Only the Pope in Rome might have a direct line to God, if one existed
But He ain't home, he ain't home, he ain't home!
However, it's highly unlikely that God would personally answer anyone who contacted it
No, no, no, He ain't home!
God's absence from our physical world dictates that we may never truly be able to communicate with or comprehend it
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ERIC BAZILIAN, ERIC M. BAZILIAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind