This content originally appeared on daverupert.com and was authored by daverupert.com
Take My Hand, Precious Lord (also known as the inverse Precious Lord, Take My Hand) is an old gospel hymn with a unique and special tie-in to the American Civil Rights story. Written in 1932 by Thomas Dorsey after he co-founded National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses (NCGCC), the tune borrowed from a 1844 hymn called “Maitland” (George N. Allan) and took inspiration from a performance of the song by Blind Connie Williams.
The song was written after the death of Dorsey’s wife Nettie and his son during childbirth. Tragic doesn’t even begin to describe the situation. You feel the heartache in the simple refrain, “I am tired, I am weak, I am worn”. It’s a cry for help and comfort beyond what the world can offer.
One notable fan of the song was MLK. Dr. King would often asked Mahalia Jackson to sing this particular song at civil rights rallies. He even made her promise to sing the song at his funeral. And on April 4th, 1968 outside the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, Dr. King’s last recorded words were to musician Ben Branch for an event he was performing that evening…
“Ben, make sure you play ‘Take My Hand, Precious Lord’ in the meeting tonight. Play it real pretty.”
Moments later, Dr. King was shot and died on the way to the hospital. This began a bit of a tradition with this song.
- Mahalia sang the song at Dr. King’s funeral in 1968
- Aretha sang the song at Mahalia’s funeral in 1972
- Aretha sang the song at the MLK memorial dedication in 2011
- Fantasia sang the song at Aretha’s funeral in 2018
Dozens of famous people from Bruce Springsteen to Nina Simone have sung versions of this song, but to me the best recorded version of this song comes from Aretha Franklin’s groundbreaking and award-winning gospel album Amazing Grace, recorded in Los Angeles in 1972 which is also an incredible documentary (2018) if you haven’t already seen it already. The choir and the bassist do most of the work but it punches you right in the gut. At one point Aretha appears to sing the wrong verse over the choir, but she knows what she’s doing. It’s layers upon layers stitched inside a medley, building up a magical tapestry of song.
G G7
Precious Lord, take my hand,
C
Lead me on, let me stand,
G D7
I am tired, I am weak, I am worn;
G G7
Through the storm, through the night,
C
Lead me on to the light:
G D7
Take my hand, precious Lord,
G C G
Lead me home.
G G7
When my way grows drear,
C
Precious Lord, linger near,
G D7
When my life is almost gone,
G G7
Hear my cry, hear my call,
C
Hold my hand lest I fall
G D7
Take my hand, precious Lord,
G C G
Lead me home.
G G7
When the darkness appears
C
And the night draws near,
G D7
And the day is past and gone,
G G7
At the river I stand,
C
Guide my feet, hold my hand
G D7
Take my hand, precious Lord,
G C G
Lead me home.
When I’m feeling the pains of the world I often think about this song. I think about how exhausting it must have been to pick yourself up under the oppression of Jim Crow. No doubt it would leave you feeling tired, weak, and worn at the end of each night. To have freedom in a free country. To have a vote. To have dignity.
When I’m tired at end of a night, I sit at the piano and try to play this song. It never sounds as beautiful as those who have sung it before but it hits all the same. I think this would be a wonderful song to have at a funeral. Play it real pretty.
This content originally appeared on daverupert.com and was authored by daverupert.com
daverupert.com | Sciencx (2025-05-27T14:19:00+00:00) Take My Hand, Precious Lord. Retrieved from https://www.scien.cx/2025/05/27/take-my-hand-precious-lord/
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