Lord, help me walk another mile, just one more mile
I’m tired of walkin’ all alone
Lord, help me smile another smile, just one more smile
You know I just can’t make it on my ownI never thought I needed help before
I thought that I could get by, by myself
But now I know I just can’t take it any more
With a humble heart, on bended knee
I’m beggin’ You, please, help meCome down from your golden throne to me, to lowly me
I need to feel the touch of Your tender hand
Remove the chains of darkness let me see, Lord let me see
Just where I fit into Your master planI never thought I needed help before
I thought that I could get by, by myself
But now I know I just can’t take it any more
With a humble heart, on bended knee
I’m beggin’ You, please, help meWith a humble heart, on bended knee
I’m beggin’ You, please, help me
It’s not a secret that I have a thing for the King. As a girl, I swooned over his movie-star good looks, melted at how he adored his Mama, and relished his velvety soft and powerful voice. Still do.
But Elvis cut his teeth on Gospel music. Down home. On his Mama’s knee. In revival tents with his Daddy and his cousins by his side.
an MJ favorite; image from amazon.com
In challenging times, it’s where he retreated to. It’s what he sang to relax and come down from all the emotions poured out in concert. And, yes, it’s where I go in my darkest hours but, just as often, it’s where I visit in my happiest, too.
I adore his upbeat tempos and thoughtful ballads but when I hear his version of Gospel … I’m all in.
Say what you want about the Karate moves, jumpsuits and capes; I get it. There’s just something so stirring about a talented and charismatic icon admitting that he, too, got down on a bended knee and asked for help. His humanity reminds me I can, also.
“Since I was two years old, all I knew was Gospel music. That music became such a part of my life it was as natural as dancing. A way to escape from the problems. And my way of release.”
reprinted in Elvis in His 0wn Words, 1977
