Be Thou My Vision
On this page you can discover the lyrics and chords to this famous hymn, with three versions of "Be Thou My Vision" (with guitar & piano chords in D major, E major and Eb major) and pdf links to the modern and original words. Further down you can find out more about this beautiful congregational song, with a brief guide to it's history, and a look at the meaning of the lyrics and the biblical references it alludes to. There's also links to further resources such as pdf's of chord and sheet music. For those playing the song in D (the easiest for the guitar) we begin with some quick tips on how best to play the chords involved.
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Tips on how to play Be Thou My Vision in D
If you are playing the song in D, consider de-tuning the bottom string (the low E) to D. That way when the first D chord is played, you are able to strike all the notes and you will have a richer and fuller sound. This is especially useful if you are leading Be Thou My Vision just with the guitar (and without any instruments that might fill out the lower end, such as the bass guitar or keyboards). If you are leading a set of worship songs, you may opt to play ones in D to avoid having to detune or retune the guitar. |
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| Be Thou My Vision in D |
D.............................. G/B.......... D
Be Thou my vision, O lord of my heart;
Asus................................ G/B................ Asus
Nought be all else to me, save that Thou art;
G....................Bm................... F#m.......... G/B
Thou my best thought, in the day and the night,
D.............. Bm................ Em.. G/B Asus D
Waking or sleeping, Thy pre..sence my light.
D................................... G/B............... D
Be Thou my wisdom, be Thou my true word;
Asus.......................... G/B................ Asus
I ever with Thee, and Thou with me Lord;
G.................... Bm.............. F#m........ G/B
Thou my Great Father, and I Thy true son;
D............... Bm.............. Em G/B Asus D
Thou in me dwelling and I ..with Thee one.
D.......................................... G/B.............. D
Be Thou my breast-plate, my sword for the fight;
Asus.............................. G/B............. Asus
Be Thou my armour, and be Thou my might.
G..................... Bm.............. F#m............. G/B
Thou my soul's shelter, and Thou my high tower:
D..................... Bm.................. Em G/B Asus D
Raise Thou me Heavenward, O power of my power.
D................................ G/B................ D
Riches I heed not, nor man`s empty praise,
Asus............................ G/B................. Asus
Thou mine inheritance, through all my days:
G..................... Bm......... F#m....... G/B
Thou and Thou only, the first in my heart,
D................ Bm.............. Em.... G/B ..Asus D
High King of Heaven, my trea...sure Thou art.
D............................................. G/B...... D
High King of Heaven when the battle is done,
Asus................................... G/B............. Asus
Grant Heaven`s joy to me , bright heaven`s sun!
G................ Bm.................... F#m.... G/B
Christ of my own heart, whatever befall,
...... D.............. Bm......... Em G/B Asus D
Still be thou my vision, O Ru..ler.. of.. all
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PDF 1: Click here for "Be Thou My Vision" in D (modern words)
PDF 2: Click here for "Be Thou My Vision" in D (traditional words)
Some of the chords used:-
Asus = This is A suspended 4th, the notes in the chord are A,D and E
G/B= This means play a G chord, with B the lowest note played. It does NOT mean play either G or B chord (a common mistake!)
Bm and F#m = The two barre chords used in "Be Thou My Vision", and probably the most difficult section of the music. However, this is made a little easier by the fact that both chords share the same fret position. When you have played Bm, leave the index finger where it is and then move the other fingers over to F#m. If you have detuned the guitar, avoid contact with the lowest string at this point.
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Be Thou My Vision in the key of E for guitar or piano
Here's "Be Thou My Vision" again, this time in E major (here is a pdf in E you can print). This is more difficult for the guitar as it involves four barre chords - B, C#m, G#m, and F#m. Also, if you are using this version in congregational worship, you may find that the pitch may go too high for most people to sing. |
| Be Thou My Vision in E |
E............................. A/C#......... E
Be Thou my vision, O lord of my heart;
Bsus................................ A/C#............... Bsus
Nought be all else to me, save that Thou art;
A................... C#m................ G#m........... A/C#
Thou my best thought, in the day and the night,
E.............. C#m............. F#m A/C# Bsus E
Waking or sleeping, Thy pre..sence my.. light.
E................................... A/C#............. E
Be Thou my wisdom, be Thou my true word;
Bsus.......................... A/C#............. Bsus
I ever with Thee, and Thou with me Lord;
A.................... C#m........... G#m........ A/C#
Thou my Great Father, and I Thy true son;
E............... C#m............ F#m A/C# Bsus E
Thou in me dwelling and I..... with Thee one.
E........................................... A/C#............. E
Be Thou my breast-plate, my sword for the fight;
Bsus.............................. A/C#........... Bsus
Be Thou my armour, and be Thou my might.
A..................... C#m............ G#m............. A/C#
Thou my soul's shelter, and Thou my high tower:
E.................... C#m.................. F#m. A/C# Bsus E
Raise Thou me Heavenward, O power of... my... power.
E................................ A/C#.............. E
Riches I heed not, nor man`s empty praise,
Bsus........................... A/C#............... Bsus
Thou mine inheritance, through all my days:
A..................... C#m...... G#m........ A/C#
Thou and Thou only, the first in my heart,
E................ C#m........... F#m A/C# Bsus E
High King of Heaven, my trea..sure Thou art.
E............................................. A/C#..... E
High King of Heaven when the battle is done,
Bsus................................... A/C#................. Bsus
Grant Heaven`s joy to me , bright heaven's sun!
A................ C#m................ G#m... A/C#
Christ of my own heart, whatever befall,
.......E............... C#m...... F#m A/C# Bsus E
Still be thou my vision, O Ru....ler.... of... all.
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PDF: Click here for "Be Thou My Vision" in E (modern words)
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The music behind "Be Thou My Vision"
The tune to this ancient hymn is entitled "Slane", from an 8th Century Irish melody. The melody is named after Slane Hill - and to an event recorded in the lands history thought to be around AD 433. Tradition goes that the ruling King of the time (High King Logaire of Tara) had decreed that no one was allowed to kindle a fire until Logaire had lit his to announce the start of the pagan spring festival. However, St Patrick defied the royal order and lit candles on the Eve of the festival on Tara Hill (approximately ten miles from Slane Hill in County Meath). The King was so impressed by Patrick's defiance that he pardoned him and allowed him to continue his missionary work in Ireland. Patrick would go on to convert 100,000 people and establish 2,000 churches. No small feat for a man originally kidnapped by pirates and taken as a slave to Ireland!
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The history of the words in this song
The original words to the hymn date back as far as 6th Century Ireland, and to the prolific Irish writer Dallan Forgaill (c.530-598), with the original title 'Rop tú mo Baile' . It is said that such was his zealousness for writing poetry and studying that it led to his blindness. In his day, Forgaill reformed the Bardic Order, helping to preserve the Gaelic traditional literature and language.
The original words of 'Be Thou My Vision' recorded in Old Irish were used widely in the Monastic tradition before being set to music.
The next major development in the hymn came at the turn of the twentieth century, when Mary E. Byrne translated the Irish words into English, recorded in 1905 in the journal of the School of Irish Learning. Another scholar in 1912, Eleanor H. Hull (founder of the Irish Text Society), versified the words. This was to become the modern form of the hymn.
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The meaning of "Be Thou My Vision"
- a devotional guide to the bible references in the lyrics of the song.
If you are involved in leading worship you may find the following useful for introducing the hymn before congregational singing:-
Each verse of this hymn alludes to biblical passages:-
With "Be Thou My Vision" we may think of the Apostle Paul's testimony in Philippians 3:8 of losing everything for the sake of Christ.
The line "Waking or sleeping", brings to mind Psalm 139 and verse 18 "When I wake up, I am still with you" and speaks of the ommipresent nature of God (the Lord is always present with us).
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"Be Thou My Wisdom" - scripture personifies Wisdom in the Book of Proverbs -
"Out in the open wisdom calls aloud,
she raises her voice in the public square".
Proverbs 1:20 (NIV)
We read later in this chapter (verse 28) that it the Lord that is calling out. God himself is wisdom, and we can ask to receive this wisdom into our hearts as we sing the lines of this hymn.
"Be Thou my breast-plate..sword..armour" - this recalls the armour of God passage found in Ephesians 6:13-17 - and St Paul's prayer for protection against Satan's schemes.
Jesus teaches that "your heart will always be where your riches are" (Luke 12:34, GNT) and the forth stanza of "Be Thou My Vision" is a prayer to be single-minded in placing the "King of Heaven" at the centre of life (and not materialism or recognition for the sake of it).
"But for you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings" (Malachi 4:2) - our prayer remains the same "whatever befall" - that Christ, the light of Heaven, is always our vision, the centre of our life.
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Free Piano Score and Other Online Resources for "Be Thou My Vision"
Wikipedia
The Wikipedia page contains several important historical versions of the 'Be Thou my Vision' hymn, including the original old Irish version "Rop tú mo baile", it's translation into English by Mary Byrne in 1905, and a modern Scottish Gaelic translation by Céitidh Mhoireasdan. The page also offers a playable audio recording of excerpts from the original Irish "Rop tú mo baile" a cappella, and a list of CD recordings of the 'Be Thou my Vision', such as on Van Morrison's "Hymns To The Silence".
Songs and Hymns
Another good resource page for "Be Thou My Vision", with important facts (e.g. the key, meter and tune name) and an insightful devotional which considers some of the biblical references that the hymn alludes to, such as the renouncing of materialism ("Riches I heed not" - compare this with Luke 12:34) and the confession that God is the most important thing in a believers life (compare the writing of St Paul in Philippians 3:8 with the line "Christ of my own heart, whatever befall, Still be thou my vision, O Ruler of all").
Free Sheet Music to the Hymn
Before playing the hymn, you may wish to check out this free sheet music at Making Music Fun - A free printable piano sheet music score with melody line and simple piano arrangement of "Be Thou My Vision" suitable for an intermediate level piano or keyboard player. This page has the chords in Eb, is in 3/4 time and has more modern words. If you are performing this song as a guitar player, consider putting the guitar capo on the first fret and playing "Be Thou My Vision" on the guitar in D major, whilst the keyboard or piano player plays in Eb major. This is because Eb major is one of the most difficult keys for a guitarist to play in (every chord requires "barring").
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| Be Thou My Vision in Eb |
Eb............................ Ab/C.........Eb
Be Thou my vision, O lord of my heart;
Bbsus.............................. Ab/C................Bbsus
Nought be all else to me, save that Thou art;
Ab................. Cm...................Gm.............. Ab/C
Thou my best thought, in the day and the night,
Eb............Cm................ Fm.. Ab/C Bbsus Eb
Waking or sleeping, Thy pre..sence my... light.
Eb..................................Ab/C..............Eb
Be Thou my wisdom, be Thou my true word;
Bbsus.........................Ab/C.............. Bbsus
I ever with Thee, and Thou with me Lord;
Ab...................Cm............. Gm........... Ab/C
Thou my Great Father, and I Thy true son;
Eb.............. Cm............. Fm Ab/C Bbsus Eb
Thou in me dwelling and I ..with. Thee.. one.
Eb..........................................Ab/C..............Eb
Be Thou my breast-plate, my sword for the fight;
Bbsus.............................Ab/C............Bbsus
Be Thou my armour, and be Thou my might.
Ab................... Cm............. Gm................. Ab/C
Thou my soul's shelter, and Thou my high tower:
Eb.................. Cm.................... Fm... Ab/C Bbsus Eb
Raise Thou me Heavenward, O power of.. my.... power.
Eb...............................Ab/C...............Eb
Riches I heed not, nor man`s empty praise,
Bbsus.......................... Ab/C................Bbsus
Thou mine inheritance, through all my days:
Ab................... Cm........ Gm........... Ab/C
Thou and Thou only, the first in my heart,
Eb.............. Cm.............. Fm....Ab/C Bbsus Eb
High King of Heaven, my trea...sure Thou art.
Eb........................................... Ab/C.......Eb
High King of Heaven when the battle is done,
Bbsus..................................Ab/C.................. Bbsus
Grant Heaven`s joy to me , bright heaven's sun!
Ab...............Cm................... Gm....... Ab/C
Christ of my own heart, whatever befall,
..... Eb...............Cm........ Fm Ab/C Bbsus Eb
Still be thou my vision, O Ru..ler... of...... all.
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PDF: Click here for "Be Thou My Vision" in Eb
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| If you've enjoyed playing this hymn, you might like to try another worship song - "Amazing Grace". This contains to music versions - one in the key of G major (easiest for guitar) and another in key of F (easier for the piano as this contains only one black key, the Bb). |
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Happy Birthday Piano Chords
(for those party occasions!)
Amazing Grace Piano Chords
(Hymn by John Newton)
Be Thou My Vision Chords
(Traditional hymn)
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