Take My Life and Let It Be Frances R. Havergal, 1874
4 verses, sung to Mozart (7.7.7.7), public domain, free to print and project.
The words
Verse 1. Take my life, and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to thee;
Take my hands, and let them move
At the impulse of thy love,
At the impulse of thy love.
Verse 2. Take my feet, and let them be
Swift and beautiful for thee;
Take my voice, and let me sing
Always, only, for my King,
Always, only, for my King.
Verse 3. Take my silver and my gold,
Not a mite would I withhold;
Take my moments and my days,
Let them flow in ceaseless praise,
Let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Verse 4. Take my will, and make it thine,
It shall be no longer mine;
Take my heart, it is thine own,
It shall be thy royal throne,
It shall be thy royal throne.
Words copied from New Baptist Hymnal (1926). They were published in 1874, 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 Take My Life, and Let It Be
Frances Ridley Havergal wrote this hymn in 1874 after a five day visit to Areley House in Worcestershire. The Hymnology Archive says she prayed for the people there and renewed her own consecration. Her own account places her clearest insight into consecration on Advent Sunday, 2 December 1873, and the index to her Poetical Works dates the hymn to 4 February 1874.
Charles Snepp first printed it in 1874 in the Appendix to Songs of Grace and Glory, in six four-line stanzas headed with 2 Samuel 19:30. It went with the tune PATMOS, written by Frances's father, William Henry Havergal, in 1869. She printed a twelve-couplet version in Loyal Responses in 1878. Stanza order and wording still vary from book to book.
Most American congregations sing it to HENDON, a tune by the Geneva minister César Malan. Lowell Mason published it in the United States in Carmina Sacra in 1841. The Hymnology Archive says the pairing with Havergal's words seems to have started with Ira Sankey's Gospel Hymns No. 5 in 1887. Hymnary lists HENDON in F major in Baptist Hymnal 1991 and 2008, and in G major in many gospel songbooks.
Frances Ridley Havergal
1836-12-14 to 1879-06-03
Frances Ridley Havergal was born on December 14, 1836, at Astley, Worcestershire, and died on June 3, 1879, at Caswell Bay near Swansea. She was the daughter of the Rev. William Henry Havergal, who composed tunes himself. She entered Mrs. Teed's school in 1850 and studied several modern languages, plus Greek and Hebrew. She was confirmed in Worcester Cathedral in 1853. Her hymns include Take My Life and Let It Be and Like a River Glorious. Loyal Responses collected many of them in 1878.
César Malan
1787 to 1864
Henri Abraham César Malan (1787 to 1864) was born in Geneva and ordained in the Reformed Church of Geneva in 1810. He criticized the national church for formalism and urged a return to strict Calvinism and personal conversion. After the church barred him from its pulpits he built a church in his garden and kept preaching to large crowds. He later led revival tours across Europe. Hymnary dates his tune HENDON to about 1827. Lowell Mason met him in 1837 and brought the tune to America in Carmina Sacra in 1841.
- Hymnology Archive: Take my life, and let it be , read 2026-10-16
- Hymnary.org: HENDON (Malan) , read 2026-10-16
- Hymnary.org: Baptist Hymnal 2008, number 534 , read 2026-10-16
Scripture in Take My Life, and Let It Be
The Bible passages behind the words.
- 2 Samuel 19:30
Take My Life, and Let It Be videos
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Take my life and let it be hymn Islington Baptist Church, Congregation
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"Take My Life And Let It Be" by Cherubium Singers for Classic Hymns album " Sweet Hour Of Prayer" Classic Hymns, Choir
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Take My Life and Let It Be Michele Neese Keaton , A cappella
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Take My Life and Let It Be - piano instrumental hymn with lyrics Kaleb Brasee, Piano
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Take My Life and Let It Be | 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 93 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 39 KB. Opens in MuseScore, Finale, Sibelius and Dorico to change the key or print parts.
- MIDI, all parts MIDI 1 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 .
Chords and keys
Hymnals print it in F, G or E♭.
Questions people ask
Who wrote Take My Life and Let It Be?
Frances Ridley Havergal wrote it in 1874 after a visit to Areley House. Charles Snepp printed it that year in the Appendix to Songs of Grace and Glory.
What tune goes with Take My Life and Let It Be?
Most American hymnals use HENDON by César Malan. Havergal's father wrote PATMOS, the tune that first went with the words.
What key is Take My Life and Let It Be in?
Baptist Hymnal 1991 and 2008 print HENDON in F major. Several gospel songbooks print it in G major.
Is Take My Life and Let It Be in the public domain?
Yes. The words are public domain in the United States, first published in 1874. Hymnary dates the tune HENDON to about 1827 and marks it public domain.
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