Be Thou My Vision

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Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart

Translator: Mary E. Byrne; Versifier: Eleanor H. Hull
Tune: SLANE
Prayer Songs
Published in 158 hymnals

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	Be Thou My Vision

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	Keys to the Word (Piano Solos with Readi…

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	Be Thou My Vision

Representative Text

1 Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
be all else but naught to me, save that Thou art;
be Thou my best thought in the day and the night,
both waking and sleeping, Thy presence my light.

2 Be Thou my Wisdom, be Thou my true Word;
be Thou ever with me and I with Thee, Lord;
be Thou my great Father, and I Thy true son,
be Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

3 Be Thou my Breastplate, my Sword for the fight;
be Thou my whole Armor, be Thou my true Might;
be Thou my soul’s Shelter, be Thou my strong Tow’r,
O raise Thou me heav’nward, great Pow’r of my pow’r.

4 Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise,
be Thou mine inheritance, now and always;
be Thou and Thou only the first in my heart,
O High King of heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

5 High King of heaven, Thou heaven's bright Sun,
O grant me its joys, after vict'ry is won;
Great Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
still be Thou my Vision, O Ruler of all.

Source: Psalms and Hymns to the Living God #352

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Translator: Mary E. Byrne

Mary Elizabeth Byrne, M.A. (July 2, 1880 – January 19, 1931) was born in Ireland. She translated the Old Irish Hymn, "Bí Thusa 'mo Shúile," into English as "Be Thou My Vision" in Ériu (the journal of the School of Irish Learning), in 1905. See also in: Wikipedia Go to person page >

Versifier: Eleanor H. Hull

(no biographical information available about Eleanor H. Hull.) Go to person page >

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Related Texts

First Line:	Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart
Title:	Be Thou My Vision
Translator:	Mary E. Byrne
Versifier:	Eleanor H. Hull
Meter:	10.10.10.10
Source:	Ancient Irish; Irish, ca. 700
Place of Origin:	Ireland
Language:	English
Notes:	Spanish translation: See "Oh Dios, de mi alma, sé Tú mi visión" by Federico Pagura
Copyright:	Public Domain
Liturgical Use:	Prayer Songs
Article:	Be Thou My Vision by Sally Ann Morris (from The Hymn)

Chinese

生命聖詩 - Hymns of Life, 1986 #387

English

10 shown out of 114

Spanish

Santo, Santo, Santo: cantos para el pueblo de Dios = Holy, Holy, Holy: songs for the people of God #640

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Tune

SLANE

SLANE is an old Irish folk tune associated with the ballad "With My Love on the Road" in Patrick W. Joyce's Old Irish Folk Music and Songs (1909). It became a hymn tune when it was arranged by David Evans (PHH 285) and set to the Irish hymn "Be Thou My Vision" published in the Church Hymnary (1927).…

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For Leaders

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According to mythology, when St. Patrick was a missionary in Ireland in the 5th century, King Logaire of Tara decreed that no one was allowed to light any fires until a pagan festival was begun by the lighting of a fire on Slane Hill. In a move of defiance against this pagan ritual, St. Patrick did light a fire, and, rather than execute him, the king was so impressed by his devotion that he let Patrick continue his missionary work. Three centuries later, a monk named Dallan Forgaill wrote the Irish poem, “Rop tú mo Baile” ("Be Thou my Vision), to remember and honor the faith of St. Patrick. Forgaill was martyred by pirates, but his poetry lived on as a part of the Irish monastic tradition for centuries until, in the early 20th century, Mary Elizabeth Byrne translated the poem into English, and in 1912, Eleanor Hull versified the text into what is now a well-loved hymn and prayer that at every moment of our lives, God would be our vision above all else.

Text:

Eleanor Hull’s versification consists of five verses. Today, most hymnals include four of those verses: 1, 2, 4, and 5, leaving out verse 3: “Be thou my breastplate, my sword for the fight; be thou my dignity, though my delight, thou my soul’s shelter, and thou my high tower: raise thou me heavenward, O Power of my power."

Other minor changes include altering some of the gender exclusive language to be inclusive, or changing “High king” in stanzas three and four to “Great God.”

Tune:

There’s only one tune associated with this text, and that’s SLANE, aptly named for the location at which St. Patrick is said to have defied the orders of King Logaire. This tune comes from an Irish folk song of the same name, and was combined with the hymn text by Welsh composer David Evans in the 1927 edition of the Church Hymnary of the Church of Scotland.

This is a hymn that has been performed and recorded by too many artists to count, but that provides the worship leader with a lot of options for arranging. Many artists keep the traditional Irish feel to the tune, and sing it at a slower pace – just be careful it doesn’t drag. Here are some good arrangement options:

Enfield has a version with a simple yet powerful harmony that really builds into the fourth verse, and an uplifting turn-around in between verses - while they perform this on strings, it could easily be adapted for piano.
Eden’s Bridge’s version is really quite simple – on top of a base of ethereal synth lies a simple yet varied banjo or acoustic guitar accompaniment. Without the synth, an option for arranging this version is to sing verse 1 a cappella, verse 2 with banjo/guitar picking, verse 3 with strumming and light drums, and verse 4 either the same as verse 3 but pulled back, or a cappella with just drum.

When/Why/How:

This hymn acts as a prayer to our God that He would be the first that we seek after, and continually refocus the direction of our life. This hymn can be sung throughout the liturgical year, and is a particularly powerful prayer of response to God’s call for our lives, whether heard in a sermon or a Scripture passage. It is most often used as a hymn of dedication, and fits well during a time of profession of faith or baptism. Consider using this verse from William Cowper’s hymn “O for a Closer Walk with God” as a prayer before or after: "The dearest idol I have known, Whate’er that idol be, Help me to tear it from thy throne, And worship only thee." Other songs of dedication could be well paired with this hymn, such as "I Surrender," "Take My Life," and "Take, O Take Me as I Am."

Suggested music:

Near, Gerald. Laudes Domin: 10 Hymn Introductions and Harmonizations for Organ, Vol. 1
Miller, Dan. Be Thou My Vision (for Choir and Organ)
Burrows, Mark. Prayer of Saint Patrick (Incorporating "Be thou My Vision") (for Choir and Piano)
Cooney, Rory. Be Thou My Vision (for Unison Choir, guitar or keyboard)
Clarke, Andrew. Fantasy on an Irish Ballad (for Organ)
McMichael, Catherine Concert Variations on "Slane" (for Handbells)
Butler, Eugene Be Thou My Vision (for Handbells)

Laura de Jong,
Hymnary.org

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The Cyber Hymnal #484

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Worship and Rejoice #502

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Psalms and Hymns to the Living God (2023), p.413

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Instances

Instances (1 - 83 of 83)

Piano/Organ Keys to the Word (Piano Solos with Readings for Worship) Three Hymns for Clarinet and Piano Trumpet Solos for Worship, Vol. 2 (Arranged with Keyboard Accompaniment) More Piano/Organ...
Choral Be Thou My Vision Be Thou My Vision Be Thou My Vision More Choral...
Instrumental Trumpet Solos for Worship, Vol. 2 (Arranged with Keyboard Accompaniment) Oboe Solos for Worship (Arranged with Keyboard Accompaniment) Oboe Solos for Worship (Arranged with Keyboard Accompaniment) More Instrumental...
Handbells FIVE-BY-FIVE Concert Variations on "Slane" (Be Thou My Vision) Concert Variations on "Slane" (Be Thou My Vision) More Handbells...
PowerPoint BE THOU MY VISION (Celebration 562) BE THOU MY VISION (Trinity Hymnal 642) BE THOU MY VISION (United Methodist 451) More PowerPoint...

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Be Thou My Vision

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Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart

Representative Text

Translator: Mary E. Byrne

Versifier: Eleanor H. Hull

Text Information

Related Texts

Tune

For Leaders

Text:

Tune:

When/Why/How:

Timeline

Arrangements

Piano/Organ

Choral

Instrumental

Handbells

PowerPoint

Media

The Cyber Hymnal #484

Worship and Rejoice #502

Page Scans

Instances