Precious Lord, Take My Hand

The story of this hymn

Thomas A. Dorsey, the father of gospel music, wrote this in 1932 in the rawest grief of his life: while he was away leading singing at a revival, his wife Nettie died in childbirth, and their newborn son died soon after. Out of that loss came a prayer that has carried mourners ever since. It was Martin Luther King Jr.'s favourite song — Mahalia Jackson sang it at his funeral in 1968 — and it remains among the most requested funeral songs in the world.

Where it sits in the service

Often sung after the tributes, where its plea to be led through the darkness lands hardest, though it also closes a service well and is fitting at the graveside. It is frequently given to a soloist rather than the congregation — if so, print the singer's name beneath the title in the programme so the moment is anchored.

In the programme, list it in the order of service as “Hymn — Precious Lord, Take My Hand” with the leader or choir named beside it.

How it is actually sung

Dorsey wrote it after losing his wife and newborn son, which is why it belongs at a funeral in a way few other twentieth-century hymns do. A cornerstone of the homegoing tradition and usually given to a soloist — it is a solo more than a congregational hymn, and forcing a whole church to sing it flattens it.

Printing the words

Still in copyright, so this page describes it rather than printing the text. Ask the church about their CCLI licence. Because it is usually sung as a solo, printing the title and the soloist’s name is often all the programme needs.

This is practical guidance rather than legal advice. Reproduction rights vary by territory, by hymnal edition and by the licence your church holds — the church office is the right place to ask, and they answer this question often.