I Know His Blood Can Make Me Whole

"I Know His Blood Can Make Me Whole"
Single by Blind Willie Johnson
A-side I Know His Blood Can Make Me Whole
Format 10" 78 rpm
Recorded December 3, 1927 (Dallas, TX)
Genre Gospel blues
Length 3:03
Label Columbia 14276
Blind Willie Johnson singles chronology
I Know His Blood Can Make Me Whole/Jesus Make Up My Dying Bed It's Nobody's Fault But Mine/ Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground

"(I Know) His Blood Can (or, Will) Make Me Whole" is a traditional gospel blues song recorded by Blind Willie Johnson in 1927, and released as the A-side of his first single.[1][2] The song is sometimes called "Jesus' Blood Can Make Me Whole", "(I Know) His Blood Has Made Me Whole", and the like. It had been recorded earlier in 1927 under the former of those titles by Barbecue Bob.[3]

As is common with traditional songs, the lyrics differ from one performer to another. One common theme is the evil of gambling, which the singer has now forgone. The line "If I touched the hem of His garment, His blood has made me whole" alludes to the story of the woman whose issue of blood was healed by touching Jesus' garment, in the Gospel of Luke at 8:4348. She had been ritually unclean for so long as it persisted, according to the Book of Leviticus at 15:2527.

Recordings

The following recordings are by people with Wikipedia articles:

References

  1. "Blind Willie Johnson discography". Retrieved March 6, 2015.
  2. Blakey, D. N. (August 1, 2007). Revelation: Blind Willie Johnson, the Biography. Raleigh, NC: Lulu Enterprises. ISBN 978-1430328995.
  3. "Barbecue Bob discography". Retrieved March 6, 2015.
  4. Barbecue Bob: "Jesus' Blood Can Make Me Whole" at AllMusic. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
  5. Blind Willie Johnson: "I Know His Blood Can Make Me Whole" at AllMusic. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
  6. Skip James / Blind Willie Johnson / Tommy Johnson: ABC of the Blues, Vol. 20 at AllMusic. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
  7. Various Artists: Legends of the Blues at AllMusic. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
  8. Various Artists: Classic Bluesman at AllMusic. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
  9. "Mme. Edna Gallmon Cooke: At the Gate". discogs.com. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
  10. Kevin Max: The Blood at AllMusic. Retrieved March 6, 2015.