To The One I Love
Joan Osborne Lyrics


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If God had a name what would it be?
And would you call it to his face?
If you were faced with Him in all His glory
What would you ask if you had just one question?

And 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 like one of us
Just a stranger on the bus
Tryin' to make his way home?

If God had a face what would it look like?
And would you want to see
If seeing meant that you would have to believe
In things like heaven and in Jesus and the Saints
And all the prophets?

And 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 like one of us
Just a stranger on the bus
Tryin' to make his way home?

Just tryin' to make his way home
Back up to heaven all alone
Nobody callin' on the phone
'Cept for the Pope, maybe in Rome

And 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 like one of us
Just a stranger on the bus
Tryin' to make his way home?

Just tryin' to make his way home
Like a holy rolling stone?
Back up to heaven all alone
Just tryin' to make his way home





Nobody callin' on the phone
'Cept for the Pope maybe in Rome

Overall Meaning

Joan Osborne's iconic song "One of Us" is a thought-provoking ballad that examines the relationship between humans and the divine. The song's primary focus is on how people perceive God and what they would do if they were face to face with Him. The lyrics question whether God is a human-like figure who can interact with people on a personal level or an abstract being who is beyond human understanding. The idea of God being "one of us" is a concept that troubles many people, as it suggests that the divine is more accessible than previously thought.


The song's chorus, which is repeated twice throughout the song, is a reflection on how people see and interact with God. It declares that God is great and good, and reaffirms this belief by repeating it several times. The verses, however, are much more introspective and ask difficult questions about the nature of faith. The first verse, for example, asks what God's name would be if He had one and whether people would dare to speak it to His face. The second verse explores the idea of God having a face and presenting the difficult question of whether people would be willing to believe in the divine if they could see it.


Overall, "One of Us" is a thought-provoking reflection on faith and how people interact with the divine. By posing difficult questions, Joan Osborne encourages listeners to question their relationship with God and to consider what they would do if they ever came face to face with the divine.


Line by Line Meaning

If God had a name what would it be?
If you were to give a name to the idea or belief of a higher being, what would it be?


And would you call it to his face?
If you were to meet this higher being, would you feel confident enough to address it by your given name for it?


If you were faced with Him in all His glory What would you ask if you had just one question?
If you were met with this higher being in its full form, what would be the one thing you would want to know?


What if God was one of us?
What if this higher being was not an omnipotent force beyond human understanding but rather just another human like any of us?


Just a slob like one of us Just a stranger on the bus Tryin' to make his way home?
Just an average everyday human trying to navigate life, facing the same challenges and struggles as any other person?


If God had a face what would it look like?
If this higher being was a human, what would this person look like?


And would you want to see If seeing meant that you would have to believe In things like heaven and in Jesus and the Saints And all the prophets?
Would you be willing to see this human, even if it meant you had to truly believe in ideas such as heaven, Jesus, the saints, and the prophets?


Just tryin' to make his way home Back up to heaven all alone Nobody callin' on the phone 'Cept for the Pope, maybe in Rome
This human is just trying to find their way back to their place of origin, to find salvation and enlightenment, with only the Pope as the possible line of communication.


Like a holy rolling stone? Back up to heaven all alone Just tryin' to make his way home
This human, like a blessed wanderer, is just looking to find their way back to their divine home.


Nobody callin' on the phone 'Cept for the Pope maybe in Rome
This human is left alone in their journey, with no one reaching out to them aside from the Pope who is preoccupied in Rome.


And yeah, yeah, God is great Yeah, yeah, God is good Yeah, yeah, yeah-yeah-yeah
Despite the possibility of this higher being being just an average human, its greatness, goodness, and ultimate existence are still extolled.




Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Eric M. Bazilian

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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