Was this songwriter or singing group fed up with the world? We don’t even really need to know who this original songwriter or group was, do we? A person crying out from the depths of one’s soul that he/she just wants Jesus and what He offers – just “Give Me Jesus”, is the honest exclamation – could be just about anyone on this planet who’s ever had a really rotten, miserable day. Or, maybe it’s more than a single day; what if someone’s whole life is grim, day after day? That indeed could have led to this old spiritual song’s gestation and birth (See here the original “Give Me Jesus” music and lyrics, which were published in the Evangelical Harp in 1845, by Jacob Knapp.) Perhaps it was someone’s adversary, even a momentary one, whose retort to this person was a ‘take-it-or-leave-it’ attitude. In reply, he or she says ‘OK, I will just leave it, and you and this crummy old world can just have each other’. You and I long for a better place, and a person-to-person relationship that cannot fail. What better person is there to have than Jesus?
This old song emanates from early-to-mid 19th Century America, possibly via a fusion of multiple sources. Most often, one might see in published versions that the song has a notation that indicates it has an African-American spiritual origin. But, since it was first published by a Baptist minister in New York (Jacob Knapp, 1845), and four years later by Methodists (in 1849), it’s southern slave origin may not be genuine. And yet, the song’s alternate title -- “And I Heard the Mourner Say” – does suggest that the writer was desperately forlorn, or certainly identified with people in this emotional state. We could also say that the writer/s were reading scripture, particularly the episode in which Jesus rebukes the audacious Peter (Matthew 16:26) for trying to upbraid Him for telling the Apostles that He – God – would eventually be killed, and then resurrected. It’s a serious admonition that Jesus delivers on this occasion, telling Peter that he’s in league with evil, worldly forces (‘Get behind me, Satan!, v. 23) in his attitude. ‘Don’t give up your own soul, in order to have the world’; instead, ‘choose me’, Jesus implores Peter and the others. And so, in the lyrics of the song, a person’s choice of Jesus is not temporary or for only a portion of one’s world. The choice begins ‘in the morning when I rise’; overarches the times ‘when I am alone’ or have a ‘dark midnight’ experience; and then finds its culmination ‘when I come to die’. All of these life experiences have common themes for anyone who’s ever lived.
We all arise in the morning and think about the day that is directly ahead; we all seek companions for the journey, but perhaps find loneliness all too often; and we all must acknowledge our mortality, the inevitability of physical demise. Such thoughts can overwhelm and drag down one’s spirit. What’s the use? One might begin to sound a bit like the Ecclesiastical preacher’s first few words -- “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” (Ecclesiastes 1:2). But, there is a tonic, this anonymous songwriter responds – Give yourself Jesus. Choose Him. So, ready for what’s next? Have Jesus in your corner, and that can transform how you regard the day’s shortcomings.
Read about the song here: Give Me Jesus - Wikipedia
See here for text and music for the song: Give Me Jesus | Hymnary.org
Information on the image of the song page: File:Give Me Jesus music and lyrics which were published in the Evangelical Harp in 1845.png - Wikimedia Commons…This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office) before January 1, 1929.
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