The band had its genesis when long-time Statesmen Quartet member Jake Hess retired from that band on December 7, 1963.[1] Hess wanted to start a new group recognized as "king" of the Southern gospel field and thought the "Imperials" would be a good moniker. After getting the go-ahead from Marion Snider for permission to use the name (Snider had previously operated an Imperial Quartet named after its sponsor Imperial Sugar), he gathered together pianist Henry Slaughter from the Weatherford Quartet,ex-Oak Ridge Boys baritone Gary McSpadden, the Weatherford Quartet's bass singer Armond Morales and Speer Family tenor Sherrill (Shawn) Neilsen to join him.[2] Signing with Benson Records subsidiary Skylite, the group had a busy first year releasing 4 albums in 1964.
Oh Buddha
Imperials Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But I pray for his disciples lest they wind up in hell
And I'm sure that old Mohammed thought he knew the way
But it won't be Hare Krishna we stand before on The Judgment Day.
No, it won't be old Buddha that's sitting on the throne
And it won't be old Mohammed that's calling us Home
And it won't be Hare Krishna that plays that trumpet tune
Well, I don't hate anybody so please don't take me wrong
But there really is a message to this simple song
You see there's only one way Jesus if eternal life is your goal
Meditation of the mind won't save your soul.
No, it won't be old Buddha that's sitting on the throne
And it won't be old Mohammed that's calling us Home
And it won't be Hare Krishna that plays that trumpet tune
And we're going to see The Son, not Reverend Moon!
Well, you can call yourself a Baptist and not be born again
A Presbyterian or a Methodist and still die in your sin
You can even be Charismatic shout and dance and jump a pew
But if you hate your brother you won't be one of The Chosen Few.
Cause it won't be a Baptist that's sitting on The Throne
A Presbyterian or a Methodist that's calling us Home
And it won't be a Charismatic that plays that trumpet tune
So let's all just live for Jesus 'cause He's coming back real soon.
[Chorus:]
The song "Oh Buddha" by Imperials is a powerful statement of the Christian faith regarding eternal salvation. The lyrics suggest that while the founders and leaders of other religions like Buddhism, Islam, and Hare Krishna may have had good intentions, following them won't lead to eternal life. The songwriter is careful to emphasize that he doesn't hate anyone and that there is a message for everyone - that there is only one way to achieve eternal life, and that is through belief in Jesus Christ.
The chorus of the song repeats that it won't be Buddha, Mohammed, or Hare Krishna who will be sitting on the throne, calling us home or playing the trumpet tune when the Judgment Day comes. Instead, it will be Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The message is clear - it doesn't matter what religion you follow or how devout you are, if you don't believe in Jesus Christ, you won't have eternal life.
The last verse of the song emphasizes that even identifying as a Christian denomination like Baptist, Presbyterian, or Methodist is not enough if you are not born again. The song challenges Christians to live according to Jesus' teachings and to love one another, so that they can be among the chosen few who will be welcomed into eternal life in heaven.
Overall, "Oh Buddha" is a moving reminder of the centrality of Jesus Christ in the Christian faith, and a call to all believers to live according to His teachings.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, Old Buddha was a man and I'm sure that he meant well
Old Buddha was a well-intentioned man.
But I pray for his disciples lest they wind up in hell
I hope his followers won't end up in hell.
And I'm sure that old Mohammed thought he knew the way
Mohammed believed he knew the way.
But it won't be Hare Krishna we stand before on The Judgment Day.
Hare Krishna won't judge us on Judgment Day.
No, it won't be old Buddha that's sitting on the throne
Old Buddha won't be the one sitting on the throne.
And it won't be old Mohammed that's calling us Home
Mohammed won't be the one calling us home.
And it won't be Hare Krishna that plays that trumpet tune
Hare Krishna won't play the trumpet tune.
And we're going to see The Son not Reverend Moon!
We'll see The Son, not Reverend Moon.
Well, I don't hate anybody so please don't take me wrong
I don't hate anyone, don't misunderstand me.
But there really is a message to this simple song
There's a simple message to this song.
You see there's only one way Jesus if eternal life is your goal
Jesus is the only way to eternal life.
Meditation of the mind won't save your soul.
Meditation won't save your soul.
Well, you can call yourself a Baptist and not be born again
Being a Baptist doesn't guarantee being born again.
A Presbyterian or a Methodist and still die in your sin
Even as a Presbyterian or Methodist, you can still die in sin.
You can even be Charismatic shout and dance and jump a pew
Even as a Charismatic, jumping and shouting won't be enough.
But if you hate your brother you won't be one of The Chosen Few.
If you hate your brother, you won't be one of The Chosen Few.
Cause it won't be a Baptist that's sitting on The Throne
Being a Baptist won't provide access to The Throne.
A Presbyterian or a Methodist that's calling us Home
Presbyterians or Methodists won't be the ones to call us Home.
And it won't be a Charismatic that plays that trumpet tune
Charismatics won't play the trumpet tune.
So let's all just live for Jesus 'cause He's coming back real soon.
Let's all focus on living for Jesus because He's coming back soon.
Contributed by Caden O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@sucote100
Well, Old Buddha was a man and I'm sure that he meant well
But I pray for his disciples lest they wind up in hell
And I'm sure that old Mohammed thought he knew the way
But it won't be Hare Krishna we stand before on The Judgment Day.
No, it won't be old Buddha that's sitting on the throne
And it won't be old Mohammed that's calling us Home
And it won't be Hare Krishna that plays that trumpet tune
And we're going to see The Son not Reverend Moon!
Well, I don't hate anybody so please don't take me wrong
But there really is a message to this simple song
You see there's only one way Jesus if eternal life is your goal
Meditation of the mind won't save your soul.
No, it won't be old Buddha that's sitting on the throne
And it won't be old Mohammed that's calling us Home
And it won't be Hare Krishna that plays that trumpet tune
And we're going to see The Son, not Reverend Moon!
Well, you can call yourself a Baptist and not be born again
A Presbyterian or a Methodist and still die in your sin
You can even be Charismatic shout and dance and jump a pew
But if you hate your brother you won't be one of The Chosen Few.
Cause it won't be a Baptist that's sitting on The Throne
A Presbyterian or a Methodist that's calling us Home
And it won't be a Charismatic that plays that trumpet tune
So let's all just live for Jesus 'cause He's coming back real soon.
@TheTerryTunes
" AndJesus said to him,
'I am the way, and the truth, and the life;
no one comes to the Father but through Me.' "
( John 14: 6 )
" For this reason also, God highly exalted Him,
and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,
so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow,
of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and that every tongue will confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father."
( Philippians 2: 9-11 )
According to the Christian Bible, Jesus Christ is diety,
proven by His sinless life and resurrection from the dead.
There is no salvation outside of Jesus Christ.
" And there is salvation in no one else;
for there is no other name under heaven
that has been given among men
by which we must be saved. "
( Acts 4: 12 )
@jlogue504
This song reminds me of my mom. She's from Thailand and was raised as a Buddhist. She moved to the US in 1975 and converted to Christianity in 1993. God Bless her soul.
@jrwhite3950
Mark Farrow the gentleman who wrote Oh Buddha was a close personal friend of our entire family. Him & my brother Bob White used to set around and play fantasy football for hour on end. One of nicest people I've ever known.
@mkids1301
My 17 year old daughter just found this listening on the radio last night... I'd quite forgotten this song, but I love it!!! My daughter wants to share it at church now!
@margiecarol5052
+Marilynn Hession I had that album until it was more or less stolen from me. If I had one of those compact antique looking turntable, receiver, c.d. players that probably will be prominent in ads now or very soon, ( I believe Profitts sells them, probably a little more expensive than some.) I'd try to get another copy from E-bay or somewhere.
@joyr36
Margie Carol, I buy CDs and download them onto my computer and save the CD for backup. It sounds great with headphones or through plug in speakers being played straight from the computer. I have bought a few songs online, but I still old fashion and like my CDs.
@brenttamatea7578
marilyn we used to sing it years ago when i wasa young adult i am going to do it an item with a friend maybe a video for friends or at church i think people will like it the message is great we need to be born again still a relevant message its not about just going to church sitting on the pew people need a relationship with Jesus .
@juliegarland3310
When I was a teenager a guy with long hair, a beard and a guitar got up in front of the church and sang this. My boyfriend (now husband) had only been to a more conservative church and he started giggling. This gave me the giggles. No disrespect at ALL, but 31 years later we still giggle a little when we speak of this song. 😊
@alarikwood3330
Haleluja!! It's not religion that saves a soul. It's not a church building. It's only through the blood of Jesus Christ!!
@matthewsassano4261
In 2019’s soft cultural shift this might even be considered edgy. It was the first song I sang as a kid in church! 😂😂 Love it. Take that oprah
@nickhoward6306
Was brought up baptist...my fathers a minister.. Not Baptist not pentacost...not church of christ...my daddy's a MINISTER.. he's taught me things I'll NEVER forget... He's a wise man.. And yes he wronged me and I wronged him...but I love my father... He's the wisest man ever...love you Charles tony...Toby Howard ..love ya dad x