Sam Cooke, Touch The Hem of His Garment | Music Lifts

In the 15th edition of Music Lifts (2025), we’re uplifted by Sam Cooke and The Soul Stirrers performing “Touch The Hem of His Garment.”

Welcome to Music Lifts , a column highlighting songs that encourage, inspire, and uplift the spirit; songs exuding fortitude, positivity, and resolve, even in the face of adversity.  Featured songs aren’t genre-specific; songs may or may not be faith-based. The goal is for these songs to make you feel better – be LIFTED to new heights! So, for the 15^th edition of Music Lifts (2025), we highlight “Touch The Hem of His Garment” as performed by Sam Cooke and The Soul Stirrers.

“Whoa, there was a woman in the Bible Days / She had been sick, sick so very long / But she heard ‘bout Jesus was passin’ by / So she joined the gathering throng.” The Bible, indeed, mentions the woman that the legendary Sam Cooke (1931 – 1964) sings about in “Touch The Hem of His Garment”, sung with The Soul Stirrers. See Matthew 9: 20-22:

²⁰ Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. ²¹ She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.”

²² Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed at that moment.

In the first verse of “Touch The Hem of His Garment,” ‘The King of Soul’ continues singing, “Someone asked her, ‘What are you trying to do’/ She said, “If I could just touch the hem of His garment / I know I’ll be made whole.” “Touch” is a song of mighty faith. With no one else to turn to, this woman understood that Jesus was the only way.

“She cried, ‘Oh, Lord (Oh, Lord), and whoa, Lord (Oh, Lord)

… Said ‘If I could just touch the hem of his garment

I know I’ll be made whole.”

The theme and lyrics are meaningful throughout “Touch The Hem of His Garment,” which Cooke wrote himself.  Besides his compelling pen based upon The Bible, Cook delivers incredibly gritty, raspy, and soulful vocals.  Every lyric he sings, you buy because of the authentic, heartfelt, and sincere nature of the performance. “When she touched Him, the Savior didn’t see / But still, he turned around and cried, ‘Somebody touched me’,” Sam sings in the thoughtful second verse, continuing, “She said, ‘It was I who just wanna touch the hem of your garment / I know I’ll be made whole right now.’” The Soul Stirrers provided marvelous supporting vocals to Cooke. The musical backdrop is on-point, too, particularly the piano which cooks. Ultimately, “Touch The Hem of His Garment” is a brief but meaningful gospel gem from Sam Cooke and The Soul Stirrers.  The song is an oldie but continues to endure and resonate.

Sam Cooke // The 2 Sides of Sam Cooke // Specialty // 1970

Sam Cooke, Touch The Hem of His Garment: Music Lifts No. 15 (2025) [: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Specialty; BD Jewel, Dave H, Jean-Daniel Francoeur, Joshua Brown, Vansh Mehta from Pexels; AcatXIo, OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay]