He Leadeth Me Joseph H. Gilmore, 1862
4 verses and a refrain, meter 8.8.8.8.8.8.8.8, public domain, free to print and project.
The words
Verse 1. He leadeth me! oh! blessed tho’t,
Oh! words with heav’nly comfort fraught;
Whate’er I do, where’er I be,
Still ’tis God’s hand that leadeth me.
Refrain He leadeth me! he leadeth me!
By his own hand he leadeth me;
His faithful follower I would be,
For by his hand he leadeth me.
Verse 2. Sometimes ’mid scenes of deepest gloom,
Sometimes where Eden’s bowers bloom,
By waters still, o’er troubled sea—
Still ’tis his hand that leadeth me.
Verse 3. Lord, I would clasp thy hand in mine.
Nor ever murmur or repine—
Content, whatever lot I see,
Since ’tis my God that leadeth me.
Verse 4. And when my task on earth is done,
When by thy grace, the vict’ry’s won,
E’en death’s cold wave I will not flee,
Since God thro’ Jordan leadeth me.
Sing the refrain after every verse.
Words copied from The Otterbein Hymnal (1892). They were published in 1862, so they are in the public domain in the United States, and your church may print them, show them and sing them without a license.
The hymn library's slide and print features are made by Church Posting.
The story behind He Leadeth Me
Joseph Gilmore gave two late accounts of how he wrote the hymn, one for Ira Sankey's 1906 book and a longer one in 1911. He said that on 26 March 1862 he was speaking on Psalm 23 at a midweek service in Philadelphia and could not get past the words He leadeth me. He wrote the hymn that night, in what he called the darkest hour of the Civil War. His wife sent it to the Boston Christian Watchman and Reflector, which printed it on 4 December 1862 under a place name instead of his own. Julian's Dictionary of Hymnology dates it to 1859, so the year is not settled. Gilmore was ordained as a Baptist minister in 1862 and taught at the University of Rochester from 1868 to 1911. A tune by Stephen Foster went with the words in 1863 and did not last. William Bradbury published his own tune in 1864 and shortened the refrain. Gilmore said he first learned of Bradbury's tune in 1865, when he opened a hymnal at a church in Rochester and found his hymn in it. The original refrain had two lines, and an unknown editor later expanded it to four. Hymnals credited the words to other names for nearly a decade.
Joseph H. Gilmore
1834-04-29 to 1918
Joseph Henry Gilmore was born in Boston and studied at Brown University and Newton Theological Institution. He taught Hebrew at Newton in 1861 and 1862 and was ordained as a Baptist minister in 1862. He served Baptist churches at Fisherville, New Hampshire, and Rochester, New York. In 1868 he joined the faculty of the University of Rochester, where he taught until he retired in 1911. He published Outlines of English and American Literature in 1905. He wrote He Leadeth Me after speaking on Psalm 23 at a Philadelphia church. He died at Rochester in 1918.
William B. Bradbury
1816 to 1868
William Batchelder Bradbury was born at York, Maine, in 1816 and moved with his family to Boston in 1830. He studied in Lowell Mason's singing classes and later led music at the First Baptist Church of Brooklyn and the Baptist Tabernacle in New York. His singing schools helped bring music into New York's public schools. He studied in London and Germany in 1847 and began making Bradbury pianos with his brother Edward in 1851. He edited 59 books of sacred and secular music. His tune BRADBURY, from Oriola (1859), is the one most often sung with "Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us." He died of tuberculosis in 1868.
- Hymnology Archive, He leadeth me , read 2026-10-16
- Hymnary.org, He Leadeth Me , read 2026-10-16
- Hymnary.org, Baptist Hymnal 1991 No. 52 , read 2026-10-16
- Hymnary.org, Joseph H. Gilmore , read 2026-10-16
Scripture in He Leadeth Me
The Bible passages behind the words, with the verse of the hymn that draws on each.
- Psalm 23:2 In verse 2 of the hymn
- Psalm 23
- Isaiah 40:11 In verse 11 of the hymn
- John 10:27-28
He Leadeth Me videos
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He Leadeth Me (Grace Community Church) Martijn de Groot, Congregation
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He Leadeth Me - Gracias Choir Gracias Choir, Choir
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He Leadeth Me - A Cappella Hymn A Cappella Hymns, A cappella
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He Leadeth Me - piano instrumental hymn with lyrics Kaleb Brasee, Piano
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He Leadeth Me | Reawaken Hymns | Official Lyric Video Reawaken Hymns, Modern arrangement
Videos play from YouTube, and nothing loads from YouTube until you press play. A video may sing different verses from the ones printed on this page.
Downloads, printing and slides
Sheet music files
- Sheet music PDF 98 KB. Words and all four parts, ready to print.
- Lead sheet PDF 85 KB. Melody, words and chord symbols for piano or guitar.
- MusicXML score XML 80 KB. Opens in MuseScore, Finale, Sibelius and Dorico to change the key or print parts.
- MIDI, all parts MIDI 3 KB. Plays the four-part harmony in any MIDI player or notation app.
- MIDI, melody only MIDI 1 KB. The tune alone, for learning it.
Practice tracks for each voice part, as MIDI: Alto , Tenor , Bass .
For Sunday
- Slides for He Leadeth Me All 4 verses and the refrain. Full screen, or a PowerPoint file that ProPresenter and Keynote open.
- Add it to a bulletin Opens the bulletin maker with He Leadeth Me in the order of service.
- Add it to a funeral program Opens the funeral program maker with this hymn in the order of service.
Chords and keys
Hymnals print it in C.
Questions people ask
Who wrote He Leadeth Me?
Joseph Gilmore, a Baptist minister, wrote the words. His wife sent them to a Boston paper, which printed them on 4 December 1862.
What Bible passage is He Leadeth Me based on?
Psalm 23. Gilmore was speaking on that psalm when the words he leadeth me held his attention.
Who wrote the tune for He Leadeth Me?
William Bradbury published the tune in 1864. Gilmore said he learned of it in 1865.
Is He Leadeth Me in the public domain?
The words are public domain in the United States. Gilmore's text was first printed in 1862, and Bradbury's tune dates from 1864.
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