God be in my Head (the Sarum Prayer)

This short song of petition for God's presence is from the 1558 Sarum Primer, which was a collection of prayers and worship resources developed in Salisbury, England, during the 13th century. The author is unknown

Having only one verse, with irregular meter, the original tune it was set to is LYTLINGTON by English organist and composer Sydney H. Nicholson (1875-1947)

Choral settings have been arranged by Henrry Walford Davies, John Rutter and others.

Downloads

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Downloadable sheet music file: acappella arrangement for SATB choir by Herbert Howells

PowerPoint
slides

Examples

Solo singer with piano - good for learning the basic tune:

Choral arrangement:

Instrumental - piano:

Lyrics

God be in my head, and in my understanding;
God be in mine eyes, and in my looking;
God be in my mouth, and in my speaking;
God be in my heart, and in my thinking;
God be at mine end, and at my departing.

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• Hymns of petition
• Public domain hymns