Psalter Hymnal (Gray) ‎#367

367. Oh, I Know the Lord Laid His Hands on Me

Refrain:
Oh, I know the Lord, I know the Lord,
I know the Lord laid his hands on me.

1 Did ever you see the like before?
I know the Lord laid his hands on me,
King Jesus preaching to the poor.
I know the Lord laid his hands on me. [Refrain]

2 Oh, wasn't that a happy day,
I know the Lord laid his hands on me,
when Jesus washed my sins away!
I know the Lord laid his hands on me. [Refrain]

3 My Lord has done just what he said,
I know the Lord laid his hands on me,
he healed the sick and raised the dead.
I know the Lord laid his hands on me. [Refrain]

Text Information

• First Line: Did ever you see the like before
• Title: Oh, I Know the Lord Laid His Hands on Me
• Refrain First Line: Oh, I know the Lord
• Meter: irregular
• Language: English
• Publication Date: 1987
• Scripture:
  Luke 7:22
• Topic: Epiphany & Ministry of Christ; Songs for Children: Hymns; Assurance; Salvation
• Source: Afro-American spiritual

Tune Information

• Name: I KNOW THE LORD
• Harmonizer: Edward Boatner
• Meter: irregular
• Key: E♭ Major
• Source: Afro-American spiritual

Text Information:

Scripture References:
st. 1 = Luke 4:18, Luke 7:22, Matt 11:5
st. 2 = Luke 7:48
st. 3 = Luke 4:18, Luke 7:22, Matt. 11:5

A traditional African American spiritual, this hymn was pub¬lished in The Second Book of Negro Spirituals compiled by James Weldon Johnson and J. Rosamund Johnson (1926).

The stanzas selected (of the various ones in oral and written tradition) focus on Christ's ministry: his preaching (st. 1), his saving (st. 2), and his healing (st. 3). The refrain finds comfort in the biblical image of "the hands of the Lord," which guide, protect, and uphold. The text makes Christ's ministries very personal to the believer: it is the same Lord who preaches, saves, and heals, who has his hands on me!

Liturgical Use:
Epiphany; in worship services during other seasons that focus on Christ's ministry; profession of faith; adult baptism.

--Psalter Hymnal Handbook

Tune Information:

Like many spirituals, "Oh, I Know the Lord" was written for responsorial singing. The refrains are sung by the entire group, and a soloist sings the stanzas with melodic and rhythmic freedom. (The soloist's melody descends, like the Lord reaching down his hands!) Sing either unaccompanied (perhaps with E-flat drone humming during the soloist's lines) or with minimal keyboard accompaniment.

Edward Boatner's arrangement was published in Lift Every Voice and Sing (1981). Boatner (b. New Orleans, LA, 1894; d. unknown, 1981) was a composer, educator, choral director, and concert singer. He studied music at Western University, Boston Conservatory, and New England Conservatory, and received a Bachelor of Music degree from the Chicago Musical College, Illinois, in 1932. Best known for his compositions and arrangements of spirituals, Boatner served as the director of music for the National Baptist Convention from 1925 to 1931 and taught at two Texas institutions, Samuel Houston College and Wiley College, in the 1930s.

--Psalter Hymnal Handbook