Jesus, Lover of My Soul Lyrics Charles Wesley, 1740
4 verses, public domain, free to print and project.
The words
Verse 1. Jesus, Lover of my soul,
Let me to thy bosom fly,
While the nearer waters roll,
While the tempest still is high!
Hide me, O my Savior, hide,
Till the storm of life is past;
Safe into the haven guide,
O receive my soul at last!
Verse 2. Other refuge have I none;
Hangs my helpless soul on thee:
Leave, O, leave me not alone,
Still support and comfort me:
All my trust on thee is stayed,
All my help from thee I bring;
Cover my defenseless head
With the shadow of thy wing!
Verse 3. Thou, O Christ, art all I want;
More than all in thee I find;
Raise the fallen, cheer the faint,
Heal the sick, and lead the blind.
Just and holy is thy name,
I am all unrighteousness:
False and full of sin I am,
Thou art full of truth and grace.
Verse 4. Plenteous grace with thee is found,
Grace to cover all my sin:
Let the healing streams abound:
Make and keep me pure within.
Thou of life the fountain art,
Freely let me take of thee:
Spring thou up within my heart,
Rise to all eternity.
Words copied from The Otterbein Hymnal (1892). They were published in 1740, 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.
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The story behind Jesus, Lover of My Soul
Charles Wesley wrote the hymn soon after his conversion in 1738, according to the dating of Carlton Young that Michael Hawn cites for Discipleship Ministries. It first appeared in Hymns and Sacred Poems in 1740 with five stanzas. A stanza dropped out of later printings, beginning with a 1753 book. John Wesley left the hymn out of his 1780 Collection for the people called Methodists. It entered that book in the 1797 edition, six years after he died. Richard Watson reports that most explanations point to John's dislike of terms of endearment addressed to God, and Watson disagrees with that reading. Two stories circulate. One ties the storm and harbor images to the brothers' rough Atlantic crossing to America in 1736. The other tells of a Civil War soldier who stopped firing after hearing the hymn, and Watson, as Hawn cites him, does not doubt it. The Baptist Hymnal 1991 prints the words to MARTYN by Simeon B. Marsh, a tune Hymnary.org dates to 1834, in the key of F. Hymnary.org lists 2,474 texts under Wesley's name, and this is one of them.
Charles Wesley
1707-12-18 to 1788-03-29
Charles Wesley was born at Epworth Rectory, the youngest son and eighteenth child of Samuel and Susanna Wesley. He studied at Westminster School and Christ Church, Oxford, and became one of the first Oxford Methodists. He was ordained in 1735 and went to Georgia as secretary to General Oglethorpe. After his conversion in 1738 he worked with his brother John as an itinerant preacher, and from 1756 he focused on the Methodist societies in London and Bristol. He married Sarah Gwynne in 1749. He stayed loyal to the Church of England. Hymnary.org lists 2,474 texts under his name, and he died in London.
Simeon B. Marsh
1798 to 1875
Simeon Butler Marsh was born at Sherburne, New York, and grew up on a farm. He sang in a choir at age seven and studied music at 16. By 19 he taught in singing schools around Geneva, New York, where he met the hymn writer Thomas Hastings, who encouraged him. He published a newspaper at Amsterdam, New York, for seven years and later founded the Sherburne News. He taught choirs and children for almost thirty years in the Albany Presbytery. Hymnals credit him with the tune MARTYN, which Hymnary.org dates to 1834. He died at Albany and is buried at Schenectady.
- Discipleship Ministries, History of Hymns, Jesus, Lover of My Soul , read 2026-10-16
- Hymnary.org, Baptist Hymnal 1991 No. 180 , read 2026-10-16
- Hymnary.org, Charles Wesley , read 2026-10-16
Scripture in Jesus, Lover of My Soul
The Bible passages behind the words, with the verse of the hymn that draws on each.
- Galatians 2:20 In verse 20 of the hymn
Jesus, Lover of My Soul videos
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Jesus, Lover of My Soul (Metropolitan Tabernacle) Martijn de Groot, Congregation
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Jesus, Lover of My Soul General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ, Choir
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Aberystwyth (Jesu, Lover Of My Soul) Treorchy Male Choir - Topic, Choir
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Jesus, Lover of My Soul Acapeldridge, A cappella
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Jesus, Lover of My Soul - piano instrumental hymn with lyrics Kaleb Brasee, Piano
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.
Print and project
Chords and keys
Hymnals print it in F.
Questions people ask
Who wrote Jesus, Lover of My Soul?
Charles Wesley wrote it. It first appeared in Hymns and Sacred Poems in 1740.
When did Charles Wesley write Jesus, Lover of My Soul?
Carlton Young dates it to shortly after Wesley's conversion in 1738. No source in this record documents the day or place of writing.
Why did John Wesley leave the hymn out of his hymnbook?
Richard Watson reports that most explanations point to John Wesley's dislike of terms of endearment addressed to God. Watson disagrees with that reading.
Is Jesus, Lover of My Soul in the public domain?
The words are public domain in the United States. Charles Wesley's text was first published in 1740, and the tune MARTYN dates from 1834.
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