Hammond gained notoriety while playing the bass guitars for the gospel group The Winans. By 1985 he was one of the six original members of the group Commissioned, participating in 10 of the group's 12 albums.
After his stint with Commissioned ended, he regained fame in the gospel community after selling millions of albums with his musical group Radical For Christ.
In 2002 Hammond returned to the group Commissioned (now with members Keith Staten, Marvin Sapp, Mitchell Jones, Karl Reid, Michael Williams, and Marcus Cole) to produce the Commissioned Reunion Live album.
Hammond produced Make Me Like The Moon, a stirring gospel ballad co-written by Chanté Moore and Kenny Lattimore for their 2006 double-CD of gospel and R&B love songs entitled Uncovered/Covered (released October 10, 2006 by LaFace/Verity/Zomba Music Group). He also performs with Sean Combs on the album Thank You.
You Called Me Friend
Fred Hammond & Radical For Christ Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
O Lord, there is none else like You, no one like You
And all these things keep me in awe of You
And I'm overwhelmed that You would call me friend
Perfect and true, pure in all Your ways
O Lord, there is none else like You, no one like You
And all these things keep me in awe of You
What is a man that thou art mindful of him?
Could an awesome God find common ground within?
Just to know that You delight to be with me
Fills my heart with so much joy
Ruler of everything, You are creator, Lord and King
Willingly You have taken my debt as your own
I would gladly give all to be a servant or a slave
For I'm overwhelmed that You would call me friend, oh yeah yeah yeah
What is a man that thou art mindful of him?
Could an awesome God find common ground within?
Just to know that You delight to be with me
Fills my heart with so much joy
Perfect and true, pure in all Your ways
O Lord, there is none else like You, no one like You
And all these things keep me in awe of You
And I'm overwhelmed that You would call me friend
And I'm overwhelmed that You would call me friend
And I'm overwhelmed that You would call me friend
The lyrics of "You Called Me Friend" by Fred Hammond & Radical For Christ express a profound sense of awe and gratitude towards God for His perfect and true nature, and for the fact that He calls us His friends. The opening lines emphasize God's purity and uniqueness, and the singer is moved to awe by His greatness. The repetition of the phrase "perfect and true, pure in all Your ways" emphasizes the singer's conviction about God's character.
The second verse asks the question "What is a man that thou art mindful of him?" acknowledging our insignificance in comparison to God but then recognizing that God seems to delight in being with us in a friendship. The lyrics express a willingness to serve God in any way and to be His slave if needed, showing that love and friendship with God is a great reward even if there's no other benefit.
In summary, the lyrics of "You Called Me Friend" express a deep sense of reverence and gratitude towards God for His character and for the fact that He calls us His friends. The singer is overwhelmed by the reality of this friendship and expresses a willingness to serve God in any capacity.
Line by Line Meaning
Perfect and true, pure in all Your ways
Acknowledgement of God's perfect and pure nature
O Lord, there is none else like You, no one like You
Recognition of the uniqueness of God
And all these things keep me in awe of You
Wonder and amazement at the greatness of God
And I'm overwhelmed that You would call me friend
Gratitude and amazement at being considered a friend by God
What is a man that thou art mindful of him?
Questioning the importance of humans in relation to God
Could an awesome God find common ground within?
Questioning whether God could have a relationship with humans
Just to know that You delight to be with me
Recognizing the joy and happiness of being in God's presence
Fills my heart with so much joy
Expressing the overwhelming happiness felt when in God's presence
Ruler of everything, You are creator, Lord and King
Acknowledgement of God's power and authority
Willingly You have taken my debt as your own
Gratitude for God's sacrifice and forgiveness
I would gladly give all to be a servant or a slave
Expressing willingness to serve God without reservation
And I'm overwhelmed that You would call me friend, oh yeah yeah yeah
Repeating the gratitude and amazement at being considered a friend by God
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Capitol CMG Publishing
Written by: FRED HAMMOND, KIM RUTHERFORD, MAURICE DAVID CRUTCHER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind