Mahalia Jackson (October 26, 1911 – January 27, 1972) was an American gospe… Read Full Bio ↴Mahalia Jackson (October 26, 1911 – January 27, 1972) was an American gospel singer. Possessing a powerful contralto voice, she was referred to as "The Queen of Gospel". Jackson became one of the most influential gospel singers in the world and was heralded internationally as a singer and civil rights activist. She was described by entertainer Harry Belafonte as "the single most powerful black woman in the United States". She recorded about 30 albums (mostly for Columbia Records) during her career, and her 45 rpm records included a dozen "golds"—million-sellers.
"I sing God's music because it makes me feel free," Jackson once said about her choice of gospel, adding, "It gives me hope. With the blues, when you finish, you still have the blues."

Jackson grew up in the "Black Pearl" section of the Carrollton neighbourhood of uptown New Orleans, Louisiana, and began singing in a Baptist church. In 1927 she moved to Chicago, Illinois, where she sang with The Johnson Brothers, one of the earliest professional gospel groups.

The Johnson Brothers broke up in the mid-1930s, and Jackson began her solo career, recording for Decca in 1937. The result, "God's Gonna Separate the Wheat from the Tares", was only a moderate success, but Jackson became a popular concert draw. She didn't record again untill 1946, when she signed with Apollo Records, releasing several singles that are now highly regarded, though sales were sluggish at the time. "Move On up a Little Higher" (1948) became a huge success, however, and stores could not stock enough of it to meet demand. Jackson rocketed to fame in the U.S. and soon afterwards in Europe. "I Can Put My Trust in Jesus" won a prize from the French Academy, and "Silent Night" was one of the best-selling singles in the history of Norway. She began a radio series on CBS and signed to Columbia Records in 1954. With her mainstream success came an inevitable backlash from gospel purists who felt she had watered down her sound for popular accessibility.

Jackson's career in the late 1950s and early 1960s continued to rise when she recorded with Percy Faith, and performed at the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival and the inauguration of John F. Kennedy. She also sang at the funeral of her friend Martin Luther King, Jr. The late 1960s saw a downturn in her popular success. She ended her career with a concert in Germany in 1971; when she returned, she made one of her final television appearances on The Flip Wilson Show.

Jackson died in Chicago on 27th January 1972 of heart failure and diabetes at the age of sixty. She was buried in Providence Memorial Park in Metairie, Louisiana. She was posthumously inducted into the Gospel Music Association's Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 1978.

My God Is Real
Mahalia Jackson Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

There are some things
I may not know
There are some places
Oh Lord, I cannot go

But I am sure
Of this one thing
That God is real

For I can feel
Him in my soul

Yes, God is real
Oh, He's real in my soul
Yes, God is real
For He has washed
And made me whole

Ooh, his love for me
Is just like pure gold, oh Lord
My God is real
For I can feel
Him in my soul

Yes, God is real
Oh yes, God is real in my soul
Yes, God is real
For He has washed
And made me whole

Ooh, his love for me
You know it's just like pure gold, oh yes

Yes, God is real

For I can feel
Him in my soul

Overall Meaning

In Mahalia Jackson's spiritual classic "My God Is Real," she expresses her unwavering faith in God. She begins by acknowledging that there are things in life that she may not understand and places that she may not be able to reach, but she is absolutely certain that God is real. She describes feeling the presence of God in her soul, and she is grateful for the uplifting and life-changing power of God's love. Her confidence and assurance are so palpable, it hard not to feel uplifted and comforted by her words.

Mahalia's Jackson's "My God Is Real" is both a declaration of personal faith and a profession of the redemptive power of God's love. Through the song, she communicates that despite the difficulties of life, and the unknown mysteries of the universe, her faith in God acts as an anchor and a source of strength. She believes that her God is a real entity, who watches over her and can make her whole if given the chance. The spiritual nature of the song, and the passionate delivery of Jackson's singing, bring to life the idea of faith in action and serves as an inspiration to others to believe in something greater than themselves.

Line by Line Meaning

There are some things I may not know
I acknowledge that I don't know everything.

There are some places Oh Lord, I cannot go
I am aware that there are places beyond my reach.

But I am sure Of this one thing That God is real
Despite my limitations, I'm confident in the existence of God.

For I can feel Him in my soul
I have a spiritual connection to God.

Yes, God is real Oh, He's real in my soul
I firmly believe in God and feel His presence within me.

For He has washed And made me whole
God has cleansed me of my sins and made me complete.

Ooh, his love for me Is just like pure gold, oh Lord
God's love for me is extremely valuable and precious.

My God is real For I can feel Him in my soul
I continue to affirm my belief in the reality of God.

Yes, God is real Oh yes, God is real in my soul
My conviction in God's existence and presence within me is steadfast.

Ooh, his love for me You know it's just like pure gold, oh yes
God's love for me is incredibly valuable and precious, and I am grateful for it.

Yes, God is real For I can feel Him in my soul
I conclude with the same assertion of my spiritual connection to God.

Lyrics © Kanjian Music, BMG Rights Management, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: KENNETH MORRIS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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