"Jesus Loves Me" is a Christian hymn written by Anna Bartlett Warner (1827–1915).[1] The lyrics first appeared as a poem in the context of an 1860 novel called Say and Seal, written by her older sister Susan Warner (1819–1885), in which the words were spoken as a comforting poem to a dying child.[2] The tune was added in 1862 by William Batchelder Bradbury (1816–1868). Along with his tune, Bradbury added his own chorus "Yes, Jesus loves me, Yes, Jesus Loves me..."[3] After publication as a song it became one of the most popular Christian hymns in churches around the world,[4] especially among children.
| Jesus Loves Me | |
|---|---|
| by Anna Bartlett Warner | |
 Anna Bartlett Warner | |
| Genre | Hymn |
| Written | 1859 |
| Based on | 1 Corinthians 6:19 |
| Meter | 7.7.7.7 with refrain |
| Melody | "China" by William Batchelder Bradbury |
Poem by Anna Bartlett Warner
editAs originally published in 1860, it appeared in four stanzas, as follows:
Jesus loves me—this I know,
For the Bible tells me so:
Little ones to him belong,—
They are weak, but he is strong.
Jesus loves me—he who died
Heaven's gate to open wide;
He will wash away my sin,
Let his little child come in.
Jesus loves me—loves me still,
Though I'm very weak and ill;
From his shining throne on high,
Comes to watch me where I lie.
Jesus loves me—he will stay
Close beside me all the way.
Then his little child will take
Up to heaven for his dear sake.[5][2]
Hymn by William Batchelder Bradbury
edit
Bradbury's Golden Shower of S.S. Melodies: a new collection of hymns and tunes for the Sabbath school, edited by Wm. B. Bradbury, New York, 1862:[6]
Jesus loves me—this I know,
For the Bible tells me so;
Little ones to Him belong—
They are weak, but He is strong.
Refrain:
Yes, Jesus loves me,
Yes, Jesus loves me,
Yes, Jesus loves me—
The Bible tells me so!
Jesus loves me—He who died
Heaven's gate to open wide;
He will wash away my sin,
Let His little child come in. Refrain
Jesus loves me—loves me still,
Though I'm very weak and ill;
From His shining throne on high,
Comes to watch me where I lie. Refrain
Jesus loves me—He will stay
Close beside me all the way;
If I love Him, when I die
He will take me home on high. Refrain
History
editIn 1943 in the Solomon Islands, John F. Kennedy's PT-109 was rammed and sunk. Islanders Biuku Gasa and Eroni Kumana who found Kennedy and the survivors remember that when they rode on PT boats to retrieve the survivors, the Marines sang this song with the natives, who had learned it from Seventh-day Adventist missionaries.[7][8]
This hymn was titled "China" in some hymnals of the 19th century.[9] Some early hymnals, such as The Modern Hymnal (1926) explain this title with a subtitled note that says, "The favorite Hymn of China".[10] By the time of later hymnals such as the Baptist Hymnal (1956), the subtitle had been dropped and the tune was simply called "CHINA".[11]
Revised versions
editThe poem and the hymn, or portions of them, have sometimes been revised. Some examples of this are
- The book Jack Bauer's Having a Bad Day presented a version which alternated Yes, Jesus Loves Me with ... Loves Us and Loves You.[12]
- A message presented in the book Good Morning Message builds on the line refrain as follows: "Yes, Jesus loves me ... Yes, Jesus loves you ... allow Him to help you through your day, every day. ..."[13]
- The inspirational book From Chains to Change presented a version in which the line "Little ones to Him belong" was rendered as "Little ones to Him below".[14]
Notable performances
editThe song has been recorded by a large number of different artists, either obscure or famous. Some versions include the following:
- 1972: Ray Stevens on Turn Your Radio On
- 1980: John Fahey on Yes! Jesus Loves Me
- 1975: Bobby Womack on I Don't Know What the World Is Coming To
- 1991: Jim Eanes and Bobby Atkins on Heart of the South
- 1992: Whitney Houston on The Bodyguard soundtrack
- 1994: Shanice on 21...Ways to Grow
- 1997: Brenda Lee on Precious Memories
- 1998: Bob Carlisle on Butterfly Kisses & Bedtime Prayers
- 2000: Rosemary Clooney on Many a Wonderful Moment
- 2000: Aaron Neville on Devotion
- 2001: Destiny's Child on Survivor
- 2004: CocoRosie on La Maison de Mon Rêve (a parody denouncing American Christianity)
- 2006: Alabama on Songs of Inspiration
- 2008: Dionne Warwick on Why We Sing
- 2012: Whitney Houston and Kelly Price; Houston's last performance in an impromptu duet at a nightclub[15]
- 2022: Tennessee State University Aristocrat of Bands on The Urban Hymnal, the first album by a college marching band to win a Grammy[16]
See also
editNotes
edit- ^ Biography and hymns of Anna Bartlett Warner (1827-1915) Archived 2011-08-16 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ a b Susan Warner; Anna Bartlett Warner (1860). Say and Seal. Lippincott & Company. pp. 115–116.
- ^ Christian Words. 1868. p. 112.
- ^ William Batchelder Bradbury (1866). Bradbury's golden chain and shower for the Sabbath school. Henry A. Brown. pp. 196.
- ^ "Jesus Loves Me (by Anna Bartlett Warner) – Original Lyrics". trulygodsgrace.wordpress.com/. 5 October 2009. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
- ^ "Jesus Loves Me, This I Know". Hymnary.org. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
- ^ "Keene's Legend in the South Pacific". Archived from the original on May 8, 2005. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
- ^ Time Pacific magazine [www.time.com/time/pacific/magazine] Time Pacific Aug 15, 2005
- ^ "Hymnals: Psalter Hymnal: 571". Calvin Hymnary Project. Calvin College. Retrieved 2009-04-20.
- ^ "Jesus Loves Me, This I Know". Hymnary.org. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
- ^ "Anna B Warner". equipu.kids4truth.com/. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
- ^ Tim Wesemann (2006). Jack Bauer's Having a Bad Day. David C Cook. p. 79. ISBN 978-0-7814-4384-5.
- ^ Peggy Edwards (2010). "October 12 : Freedom Through Life With Christ". Good Morning Message. Xulon Press. pp. 300. ISBN 978-1-60957-419-2.
- ^ Glenn Johnson (2011). From Chains to Change. eBooks2go. p. 280. ISBN 978-1-61813-001-3.
- ^ Whitney Houston’s Tumultuous Final Days (February 12, 2012), music.yahoo.com.
- ^ "TSU's College Marching Band Makes History with Grammy Nomination". February 2023.