I got a wonderful present in the mail from Deckman yesterday - a copy of Broadside Magazine from March 10, 1964. It has an article/letter titled "Plastic Jesus, Part three" - which means there's more of the story to be told. Anyhow, here's the letter:

DEAR SIS (Cunningham): ——
Your attempts to track down "Plastic Jesus" are interesting. I don't know if this will help you much, but maybe it will add one more piece to the puzzle.
From what I can judge, the song has had two distinct forms, the first of which went more or less to the effect
I don't care if it rains or freezes,
I am safe in the hands of Jesus,
I am Jesus' little lamb,
Yes, by Jesus Christ I am
There are six texts in the folklore archives at Indiana University which were collected at Michigan State in the early 1950's, the above text being collected in 1952.
Some years later, the song took on the "Plastic Jesus" theme which has seemingly supplanted the original (?) lyrics. It is a very widely known song In the repertoire of the college student and indeed may be said to be part of oral tradition. I recently collected this version:
I don't care if it rains or freezes,
Long as I got my plastic Jesus
Sitting on the dashboard of my car;
I don't care if it's dark and scary
Long as I got my magnet Mary
Sitting on the dashboard of my car.
(Chorus) City cop, state cop, county sheriff...
The informants didn't remember the rest. This is the most complete traditional version I've run across...
-Dick Reuss-

I'm guessing the line in the original is "I am safe in the arms of Jesus'" since that nomenclature is a little more common. Can we find the rest of the original song? There is an old hymn called Safe in the Arms of Jesus, but that's not the one.
In one source I read, somebody suggested it could be sung to the tune of "Reuben, Reuben." Hmmm. Yeah, that works.
-Joe Offer-