Passing Stranger

Album: Born Twice (1971)
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Songfacts®:

  • This song describes a "passing stranger" who appears to resemble Jesus. Randy Stonehill is inspired to "follow" this man who has "sunshine in his eyes." This song is a metaphor for following Christianity in general.
  • During our interview, Stonehill revealed that he wrote this song while he was on stage: "I was playing, I think, for a youth group in the San Fernando Valley in the early '70s. It ended up on Born Twice, so it was a very early '70s. This idea came to me on stage, and I actually wrote it as I sang on stage, and they happened to be recording the concert. So the recording of that song ended up on my first record. That's surreal and a gift from God. I wouldn't say it was one of my best songs, but it actually came out in cohesive form and we kept it as it was."
  • "Passing Stranger" features on Stonehill's debut album, Born Twice, which was released in 1971.

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