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Joan Osborne — One of Us
Album: Relish
Avg rating:
6.9

Your rating:
Total ratings: 2451









Released: 1995
Length: 5:15
Plays (last 30 days): 2
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
Trying 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
Trying to make His way home

Tryin' to make His way home
Back up to Heaven all alone
Nobody callin' on the phone
'Cept for the Pope maybe in Rome

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
Trying 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
Comments (248)add comment
 patrickgmd wrote:

This is one of those baffling songs.  It's such a lame melody, uninspired lyrics, totally bland and meaningless.   Can't figure out how it became so popular and is being replayed here.  



You're obviously baffled often.
Uninspired lyrics? How so? What do you think the lyrics are asking or implying? (Hint: they're actually doing both)
she has better songs
This is one of those baffling songs.  It's such a lame melody, uninspired lyrics, totally bland and meaningless.   Can't figure out how it became so popular and is being replayed here.  
Listening in headphones and the "Yeah yeah" parts have this weird whisper layered in there.
 Highlowsel wrote:

If you had but one question to ask of God what would it be?  I won't answer for you readers here but my question would be one word.  I'd open my arms out as wide as I could by way of emphasizing all that is reality and I'd ask.....WHY?

Highlow~




I said pretty much the same here (about 8 years or so ago)

Q: 'What would you ask if you had just one question?'
WHY?
I honestly had no clue that the Pope could actually call God...that's cool....
If you had but one question to ask of God what would it be?  I won't answer for you readers here but my question would be one word.  I'd open my arms out as wide as I could by way of emphasizing all that is reality and I'd ask.....WHY?

Highlow~
 On_The_Beach wrote:

6. Create Radio Paradise
7. Create Häagen-Dazs Peanut Butter Chocolate.

I strongly Agree with creating RP!   ...I have type 2 diabetes.  1 out of 2 ain't bad!  
 bviner wrote:

Gods' To Do List:
1. Create Humans
2. Drown Most
3. Randomly Favor One Group
4. Kill Myself (For 3 Days)
5. HIDE!


6. Create Radio Paradise
7. Create Häagen-Dazs Peanut Butter Chocolate.
 bviner wrote:

Gods' To Do List:
1. Create Humans
2. Drown Most
3. Randomly Favor One Group
4. Kill Myself (For 3 Days)
5. HIDE!



1. Create Humans; 2. Get us out of the messes we get ourselves into when we have no alternative but to ask for His help; 3. Clean us up so all our desires can be fulfilled and all our tears wiped away. Another way of looking at it ... and a truer one.
What if God was one of us?
Just a slob like one of us
 
Come on, you really gotta rhyme that with the very same words?
 MiMa wrote:
There is no god. Irrelevant song.

R.I.P. MiMa (struck by lightning). 
 lily34 wrote:


and lots of horse farms!



Near the big river too!   
Siempre me preció profunda esta letra. No pasa de moda ni de mi personal gusto por lo poético y profundo. In case you'r listening dear Pope
What if God smoked CANNABIS?  

Yep, this is indeed Joan! 
 SoundThinker wrote:

What if God Smokes Cannabis?  Yep, this


If God had long hair, and a goatee
And if his eyes were pretty glazed
If he looked spaced out
Would you buy his story?
Would you believe he had an eye infection?

And yeah, yeah, God looks baked
Yeah, yeah, God smells good
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
What if God smoked cannabis?
Hit the bong like some of us?
Drove a tye-dyed micro-bus?
And he subscribes to Rolling Stone?

When God made this place, in the beginning
Did he plant any seeds?
Or did he put them there for Adam and Eve
So they'd be hungry for the apple that the snake was always offering?

And yeah, yeah, God rolls great
Yeah, yeah, God smells good
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
What if God smoked cannabis
Do you 'spose He had a buzz
When He made the platypus
When He created Earth our homes
Does He like Pearl Jam or The Stones?
And do you think He rolls His own?
Up there in heaven on the throne
And when the saints go marching home
Maybe He sits and smokes a bone...
One of Us 8/10
 joejennings wrote:



They also have a big river!   The Ohio River.


and lots of horse farms!
 jp33442 wrote:


Your irrelevant 


*You're
 MiMa wrote:
There is no god. Irrelevant song.



What if God Smokes Cannabis?  Yep, this
 MiMa wrote:
There is no god. Irrelevant song.


Your irrelevant 
There is no god. Irrelevant song.
It's been awhile but I've still heard this one too many times and I generally like Joan Osborne
 Tylersmyler wrote:

It's funny that people hate on songs that make you think...




It seems that people 'thumb down' comments that comment on making you think on things that make you think. 
 Emmettf wrote:

Boy, this song holds up so much better than I ever would have given it credit for at the time.  That guitar-tone is almost "godlike" all by itself, wow!




I  Agree!!
 reallylost wrote:

There's an Anchorage in Kentucky. Who knew.




They also have a big river!   The Ohio River.
Boy, this song holds up so much better than I ever would have given it credit for at the time.  That guitar-tone is almost "godlike" all by itself, wow!
This was way too overplayed on commercial radio in 1995, not really a fan of seeing it here.
 
I would say cast this aside and give a different underplayed artist from 1995 the airtime.
Rating at 1 so on judgement day I can say I downrated this song. The tune is catchy though. May God forgive us for being human.
EXCELLENT!!!  Play this tune more often!
There's an Anchorage in Kentucky. Who knew.
Insipid.  Skip.
 fauxtoejoe wrote:

Every time I hear this I can't help but think of the parody, "What if God smoked cannabis, hit the bong like some of us, drove a tie-dye micro bus and subscribed to Rolling Stone..."



Thx for the tip :D I didnt know that version, quite hilarious
Thanks RP.
If you are familiar with the New Testament, this question was answered quite definitively.
 fauxtoejoe wrote:

Every time I hear this I can't help but think of the parody, "What if God smoked cannabis, hit the bong like some of us, drove a tie-dye micro bus and subscribed to Rolling Stone..."


Actually those would be much smarter, tongue in cheek lyrics than this pathetic trite.
I follow God...on Twitter.  He's quite entertaining.
Or as per Laurie Anderson:

Hallelujah... Yodelayheehoo
 DW4554 wrote:

I love Joan.  She made her bones in Standing in the Shadows of Motown

Joan Osborne: What becomes of the broken hearted? - YouTube

Sainthood granted.   




Thanks for the recommendation. Just watched this. Fantastic!
 gpvos wrote:

Which tv show was that?



Joan of Arcadia of course.

this is not a great song, but i like it a lot. a guilty pleasure if you will
and if you like Joan of Arcadia, check out Early Edition.
 bviner wrote:

Gods' To Do List:
1. Create Humans
2. Drown Most
3. Randomly Favor One Group
4. Kill Myself (For 3 Days)
5. HIDE!



6 Let the believers die of COVID since they won't get the vax
 dwlangham wrote:

This is as insipid as "What I Am" by Edie Brickell. That's the best I can say about it.


Totally agree: equivalent leves of insipid-ness: i.e. none whatsoever!
 Stetsonman wrote:

what a truly awful song. shite lyrics, dreary



SPOT ON
 ace-marc wrote:
 

I can't imagine having such poor taste in music -  you would miss so much.
But I guess ignorance is bliss.


Not hard to imagine..... your living it
 LizK wrote:

This liberal agnostic loved the tv show, was miffed when one of the few the intelligent programs  on air was cancelled. 


Which tv show was that?
 fauxtoejoe wrote:

Every time I hear this I can't help but think of the parody, "What if God smoked cannabis, hit the bong like some of us, drove a tie-dye micro bus and subscribed to Rolling Stone..."



Do you think he had a buzz
When he made the playtpus?

Also the singer on that parody sounds a whole lot like Joan Osborne.
Saw that I just missed this song. Thank God.
This song is the definition of godlike, and it took me my adult life to realize this.
I love Joan.  She made her bones in Standing in the Shadows of Motown

Joan Osborne: What becomes of the broken hearted? - YouTube

Sainthood granted.   





 ace-marc wrote:
 dwhayslett wrote:
Of the handful of songs I've rated 1 here, this is one of the very few that I'll actually mute.  Perhaps that means I've rated some of the others too low.

I can't imagine having such poor taste in music -  you would miss so much.
But I guess ignorance is bliss.
 
You've provided plenty of evidence that you have no need to imagine such.  It's almost adorable that you think you do.
 dwhayslett wrote:
Of the handful of songs I've rated 1 here, this is one of the very few that I'll actually mute.  Perhaps that means I've rated some of the others too low.

I can't imagine having such poor taste in music -  you would miss so much.
But I guess ignorance is bliss.
I am atheist, liberal, European and I love this song
This is as insipid as "What I Am" by Edie Brickell. That's the best I can say about it.
Thank God there’s a place for talented artists who aren’t deified by the marketing gurus.
It's funny that people hate on songs that make you think...
 justin4kick wrote:


Who's the man with the beard and the halo?
 

Hello darkness my old friend . . .
Dreadful.
Can't think of a clever comment that's better than this song!
Only song I can recall skipping. One.
 psycholynx wrote:
Poor Joan, this song was what broke her onto the scene. It was also the one that type-casted her. All that talent ignored by mainstream radio....thanks for playing her but I don't think we need to hear this one.
 
I heard Joan at a Folk Festival live, and she just blew us away with her other songs.  What a voice!  It's too bad those don't get as much play as this one, which is probably her least favourite.


 bviner wrote:
Gods' To Do List:
1. Create Humans
2. Drown Most
3. Randomly Favor One Group
4. Kill Myself (For 3 Days)
5. HIDE!
 
+1 to 7 based on this comment. LLRP 
What she doesn't realize is that God is the slob sitting next to her on the bus.
 Piranga wrote:
One hit wonder.
 
I've seen her a couple of times in concert, and am an unabashed fan. Best moment, at Yoshi's when I was entranced by her "Tangled Up In Blue" and, at the end, she stopped and said "Wow. That went someplace special."

Lots of good songs, and a really engaging performer. Worth your attention - even without "hits."
 jmsmy wrote:
He would be wearing a mask and voting for Joe Biden
 
I'M wearing a mask and voting for Joe. Got a problem with that?
He would be wearing a mask and voting for Joe Biden
Hi I'm Aaron Kyro and I'm a professional skateboarder from the San Francisco Bay area
what a truly awful song. shite lyrics, dreary


Who's the man with the beard and the halo?
Every time I hear this I can't help but think of the parody, "What if God smoked cannabis, hit the bong like some of us, drove a tie-dye micro bus and subscribed to Rolling Stone..."

One hit wonder.
I do remember this song as my first song in mp3 format back in 90s, I do remember Our first computer Celeron 266Mhz with Windows 95 operating system :), and love this song :)
Oh Hi The Nineties. I missed you. You will always have a special place in my heart. And cause me to bump up like every song I wore out in middle and high school by at least two ratings points over where it should be.
Who Cares about...gods....great voice anyway
I really like this song, a forgotten altrock  hit from
the mid 90s ...thanks for reminding me RP......
Happy clappy!
Never understood the appeal but have enjoyed other tunes by this singer.
Loved Joan since I 1st watched her perform with The Dead at Willy's 4th of July show was it 2005 or 3... forget. Was a fantastic show! Saturday headliner was Neil Young and Crazyhorse! Blazzing time!
 unclehud wrote:

The closed-minded conservative is triggered just as easily, as evidenced by your comment.

The difference between knowledge and faith is sometimes hard to understand.
 
Years ago the Episcopal archbishop of San Francisco said, "Faith is the opposite of certainty."
At great odds with many zealots' thinking. I have found that quote to be a foundation of my understanding, and it eloquently speaks to the "difference between knowledge and faith." It's all about opening your heart, not closing your mind.


 Kaw wrote:
First time I hear this song on RP and I immediately knew that this would cause a lot of hatred in the comments.
The liberal rational atheist is easily triggered. 
 
Straw Man Alert!!
If God was like one of us, wouldn't be much of a god, just judging by the mess we've made of creation.

"I gave you everything to make it work."  George Burns in Oh God.
 Kaw wrote:
First time I hear this song on RP and I immediately knew that this would cause a lot of hatred in the comments.
The liberal rational atheist is easily triggered. 
 
The closed-minded conservative is triggered just as easily, as evidenced by your comment.

The difference between knowledge and faith is sometimes hard to understand.
Lovely song from Joan.

BTW - God is a sadistic slob who lives in rainy Brussels.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Brand_New_Testament
 bviner wrote:
Gods' To Do List:
1. Create Humans
2. Drown Most
3. Randomly Favor One Group
4. Kill Myself (For 3 Days)
5. HIDE!
 

Although she didn't write this song, I just like the thought process of the thing.
Who's to say?
Love the "uhhh uhhhs" singing the melody on the last chorus.
 bviner wrote:
Gods' To Do List:
1. Create Humans
2. Drown Most
3. Randomly Favor One Group
4. Kill Myself (For 3 Days)
5. HIDE!
 
THANK YOU for this list.....I can't wait to slide this in to my next convo w/ the religious folks I know, just to piss them off...hehehehahahah….and I'm at a 6 on this one, not sure if I like it more and rate low cuz it's about god or what....Long Live RP!!
Gods' To Do List:
1. Create Humans
2. Drown Most
3. Randomly Favor One Group
4. Kill Myself (For 3 Days)
5. HIDE!
he did that already - it didn't go well for him - but he did save the world :) AMEN
 crogers wrote:

Stream of consciousness alert....
...The song says something that needs to be said.  Beyond that, not much.  Except for the sizable royalties she's pulled in over the years... there is that.  

(  phew, thanks RP... needed that.  )
 
She didn't write this song, so her royalties may not be that sizable.
Haven't heard this for awhile.
 Skydog wrote:

probably because the liberal rational atheist is correct

 
Um. No it's not.  
                      


                                                Guitarist Eric Brazilian
.
                         


.
I wonder if the Pope ever got a chuckle out of this. 
Of the handful of songs I've rated 1 here, this is one of the very few that I'll actually mute.  Perhaps that means I've rated some of the others too low.
 Kaw wrote:
First time I hear this song on RP and I immediately knew that this would cause a lot of hatred in the comments.
The liberal rational atheist is easily triggered. 

 
probably because the liberal rational atheist is correct
Awful song RP!
One of my least favorite songs of all time.
Wow!  Another song that just screams...MID-90's!!
Joan has my kind of religion.  What DOES God look like?  A Goth with piercings?  An Indian woman making curry or her kids? How could anyone follow a god so perfect, so omniscient that a person must abandon any faith because there can never be a touch of god within?
This liberal agnostic loved the tv show, was miffed when one of the few the intelligent programs  on air was cancelled. 
 Kaw wrote:
First time I hear this song on RP and I immediately knew that this would cause a lot of hatred in the comments.
The liberal rational atheist is easily triggered. 

 
... never noticing that they were triggered, too
Still as annoying as it was when it was in HEAVY rotation.....

 
God is still among us. His name is Neil Young.

Yeah, but at least the muzzle is pointed in the right direction.  {#Moon} 


Kaw wrote:
First time I hear this song on RP and I immediately knew that this would cause a lot of hatred in the comments.
The liberal rational atheist is easily triggered. 

 


First time I hear this song on RP and I immediately knew that this would cause a lot of hatred in the comments.
The liberal rational atheist is easily triggered. 
God I love this song! "just trying to make his way home

nobody calling on the phone, except maybe the the pope in Rome~ 

yeah, yeah. Yeah yeah yeah! What if God was one of us?" 
 Olivia1701D wrote:

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

Absolutely groundbreaking.

 
'Bout like "Says he's got a bad cough, wants to get paid off..."

Sometimes, it's just fun words.

 
 sktillman wrote:
I love the idea of god as a slob on the bus with the rest of us. She managed to mix irreverence with a subtle humor and hopefulness that I find intelligent and sweet. I dig it. And 10 on RP is "Godlike". Amusing.

 
"God"?  I always thought she was saying "Todd".
{#Propeller} 
Joan is great, this song not so much.
Thanks Squid...  we're probably just dealing with semantics here (epic battles have been fought over less) but as I understand the definition of the term, 'dogma' refers to a set of beliefs that are unequivocally accepted by one or many like-minded people, without consideration for a lack of empirical evidence.  Given that, I do not consider NOT believing in someone else's ideology as dogma.  

You'll get no argument from me that some atheists are as over-the-top as some believers.  All sides are only human and everyone is full of shit, but rather than grabbing some ball and running with it, I just accept that I simply cannot KNOW that there is a supreme being and I'm totally OK with that.  I think that "believers" often confuse belief with knowledge — two very different things.  To me, yeah, that's messed-up and the cause of uncountable conflicts between people throughout history.


SquiddlyDiddly wrote:

'Lack of belief is not dogma; that would be impossible' Really?. . . I guess you have never met a dogmatic Atheist then. . .  

'Claiming you know something that you have no earthly way of knowing is just messed-up... on every level.' Really? Just because you don't know, doesn't mean the same for everyone. . . . just saying. 
 

 crogers wrote:

Stream of consciousness alert....

1-1=0.   There is no need to carry The One.

Lack of belief is not dogma; that would be impossible.  There simply is no real truth to defend.  

If we had the real truth, we wouldn't need blind faith, we would just know -
     like when we know that it's raining... not like when we know that it's going to be a good day.  Ya know?

Claiming you know something that you have no earthly way of knowing is just messed-up... on every level.

I'd rather be accused of cynicism than of stupidity.  The "I Doubt It t-shirt"  beats the  "I'm With Stupid t-shirt" every time.

The song says something that needs to be said.  Beyond that, not much.  Except for the sizable royalties she's pulled in over the years... there is that.  

(  phew, thanks RP... needed that.  )

 
'Lack of belief is not dogma; that would be impossible' Really?. . . I guess you have never met a dogmatic Atheist then. . .  

'Claiming you know something that you have no earthly way of knowing is just messed-up... on every level.' Really? Just because you don't know, doesn't mean the same for everyone. . . . just saying. 
 
 timmus wrote:
Man, back in 1996 this song was played to death on the radio.  And now we've come full circle and it's in rotation on my favorite Internet station.  {#Frown}

Glad my fellow listeners agree, from what the vote totals suggest.

 
You know, one thing I appreciate about the eclectic playlist is the ability to call up the lyrics, either here or the web and find out what they were actually singing/saying. True, some were over played in the past...  But once in the past 30 days... Not too bad. And maybe it was when I was not listening. And as BillG just said: "Glad you are listening, whether you are exploring the lyrical connections, or just tapping your feet." Glad you are here, timmus.
Man, back in 1996 this song was played to death on the radio.  And now we've come full circle and it's in rotation on my favorite Internet station.  {#Frown}

Glad my fellow listeners agree, from what the vote totals suggest.

What an incredible poetry right there!

"Nobody callin' on the phone'Cept for the Pope, maybe, in Rome"
Absolutely groundbreaking.


ROFL.. right you are about that "incredible poetry".
A whole lot of lyrical shuffling just to get to the chorus. An awful song.
All those who voted 1 can be described as god botherers annoyed that a bearded man in the sky, who they insist is all powerful, cannot handle a song lyric.

What a wimp.
 fredriley wrote:

That's no insult in my book. Simple and innocent and open-minded works well for me. If you've every been to a mass (as I had to during much of my childhood) you'll know that all the prayers and hymns and ritual really just add up to the simple expression "God is great".

I don't get the 67 sucko-barfos for this one - is it really that hateful? I wouldn't put it in the RP top 10, but it's listenable. Still, one listener's sucko-barfo is another's godlike, and long may that continue :)

 
As one of those yahoos who find this clever and deceivingly simple folk song as 'godlike', may I share a smile. :-)
 maboleth wrote:
yeah, yeah, god is good, yeah, yeah, god is great, yeah, yeah, yeah.

What an incredible poetry right there!

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

Absolutely groundbreaking.
I love the idea of god as a slob on the bus with the rest of us. She managed to mix irreverence with a subtle humor and hopefulness that I find intelligent and sweet. I dig it. And 10 on RP is "Godlike". Amusing.
Love this song ...