Lyrks
Lyrks
Lyrks
Cover Art

Picture of Jesus Lyrics by John McCutcheon

Hail to the Chief! (And Other Short Shelf-Life Classics)

0

In the National Catholic Reporter
A paper I have actually read
They're havin' 'em a great big contest
This is what the article said
"Take out your paper and your pencils
"Take out your crayons and your paint
"One of you is gonna be a winner
"One of you is gonna be a saint!"
We need a whole new picture of Jesus
For the new millennium
Something that'll speak to the ages
Yet something that'll work for years to come
Something that'll give our lives new meaning
For bumper stickers, T-shirts, MTV
We need a whole new picture of Jesus
For the 21st Century
I guess we all could use a better picture
I suppose we all need a change of face
You know, they did it to Betty Crocker
And now she's all over the place
They'll gonna take all of the entries
And give it to that TV nun
And when she hollers "Jesus Christ"
I reckon that'll be the one
We need a whole new picture of Jesus
Something that'll boost his market share
Something that'll say, "Jesus is today"
Something that'll make the people care
We need a new corporate logo
Something for our focus groups can see
We need a whole new picture of Jesus
For the 21st Century
So I took a little bit of Elvis
And a little dab of Mt. T
And I threw in some Jerry Seinfeld
'Cause I sure liked him on TV
And, of course, I used some Kristi Yamagoochi
Some Michael Jordan I had sittin' on the shelf
And great big bunch of Aretha
'Cause I just couldn't help myself
We need a whole new picture of Jesus
Something that'll grab a whole new crew
Maybe what he needs is a new haircut
Maybe an earring or tattoo
It's a natural evolution
I'm sure it's where our savior wants to be
We need a whole new picture of Jesus
For the 21st Century
But I finally took out my camera
And I went out onto the street
And I started taking pictures
Of everyone I'd meet
And I'm sending 'em in as my entry
Two hundred photos or more
The guy in the Beemer, the bum on the corner
The kid in the grocery store
I figure if you're never sure who's Jesus
And if you're never sure who ain't
You're never sure who's the sinner
You're never sure who's the saint
We need a whole new picture of Jesus
One that looks a lot like you and me
We need a whole new picture of Jesus
For the 21st Century
Credits
John McCutcheon

John McCutcheon

About “Picture of Jesus” by John McCutcheon

Read the complete lyrics to "Picture of Jesus" by John McCutcheon from the album "Hail to the Chief! (And Other Short Shelf-Life Classics)". On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Country, Folk.

"Picture of Jesus" is performed by John McCutcheon. from the album "Hail to the Chief! (And Other Short Shelf-Life Classics)" This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "Picture of Jesus", explore more songs by John McCutcheon using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

View all songs and biography for John McCutcheon · Trending lyrics · Billboard Hot 100

Frequently asked questions

"Picture of Jesus" is credited to John McCutcheon. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

"Picture of Jesus" appears on "Hail to the Chief! (And Other Short Shelf-Life Classics)".

Visit the John McCutcheon artist page at /artist/john-mccutcheon for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.