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Give Us Clean Hands: How Long to Wash Your Hands to Classic Christian Songs

Give Us Clean Hands: How Long to Wash Your Hands to Classic Christian Songs

COVID-19 has gone from vague warning to real endemic in the U.S., and CDC spokespeople are starting to talk in terms of containment instead of prevention. That means that while the Coronavirus may already be here in the U.S., there’s no reason to panic. The threat of the virus can be heavily mitigated by taking care of yourself and your family, keeping your hands away from your face and, of course, washing your hands.

Ah, but how do you wash your hands? The CDC recommends scrubbing with soap for at least 20 seconds but, since that’s not terribly easy to keep track of, the official recommendation is to wash your hands for the length of “Happy Birthday.” Which might help protect your hands, but what good are they if your mind goes nuts from singing Happy Birthday too many times? No, another answer is needed. There must be a better way.

Fortunately, Christian music has been preparing for just this eventuality for decades. Lots of Christian songs are about “getting clean” and even if most of those writers didn’t intend their lyrics to be taken quite so literally, it’s still useful for our purposes here.

So here are a few Christian songs you may be familiar with, and about how long you should sing them to gauge your handwashing session. Not all of these are exactly 20 seconds but none of them are less than 20 seconds so worst-case scenario, you’re going above and beyond.

Give Us Clean Hands: Chris Tomlin

Wash your hands from the first “Give us clean hands…” to “…Oh, God let us be”. 

Clean: Hillsong United

Wash your hands from “So I will rise…” to “…because of Jesus”. 

Coming in Hot: Lecrae and Andy Mineo

Wash your hands from “Coming in hot just like a fajita…” to “…I like my dog just like I’m PETA”.

In the Light: dcTalk

Wash your hands from “I wanna be in the light…” to “…all I want is to be in the light, all I want is to be in the light”. 

Sadie Hawkins Dance: Relient K

Wash your hands from “All the girls in the bathroom talkin’…”  to “…baby, do you like my sweater?”.

Kiss Me: Sixpence None the Richer

Wash your hands for the chorus, from “Kiss me, beneath the milky twilight…” to “…So, kiss me.” 

You Say: Lauren Daigle

Wash your hands from “I keep fighting…” to “…never measure up.”

Every Heartbeat: Amy Grant

Wash your hands from “Every hour, every day…” to “…every heartbeat belongs to you”. 

Every New Day: Five Iron Frenzy

Wash your hands from “When the stars threw down their spears…” to “…every new day again.” 

Revolution: Kirk Franklin

Wash your hands from “No crying, no dying…” to “…a revolution’s comin’, yes, it’s comin”. 

Secret Ambition: Michael W. Smith

Wash your hands from “Nobody knew his secret ambition…” to “…running to those who called his name”. 

Breakfast: Newsboys

Wash your hands for the chorus, from “When the toast is burned…” to “…breakfast in hell.” 

His Cheeseburger: VeggieTales

Wash your hands for the chorus, from “You are his cheeseburger…” to “he’ll wait for you, oh, he will wait for you.” 

And of course …don’t touch your face.

 

 

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