Left to Right: Susan B. Warner, Anna B. Warner, William B. Bradbury – Photos courtesy of Wikipedia Commons.

After reading Book One of Then Sings My Soul, I was happy to see there were two more volumes. Written by Robert J Morgan, a pastor who loves hymns, the books brings to life the history of each song. In Book One and Two, on the left side of the page is the hymn, the facing page is the history of author and sometimes the composer. Book Three goes into more depth on author and hymn. The story of the Warner sisters is in Book Three.

Have you ever wondered about the author/composer of ‘Jesus Loves Me?’

The author of the words is Anna Bartlett Warner. (1827-1915) Her poem was composed for a novel called Say and Seal, written by her sister Susan B. Warner. (1819 – 1885) The sisters lived in a house on Constitution Island, near West Point. I learned their history in the third volume of Then Sings My Soul. I have all three volumes of these wonderful books. They are filled with hymns and history. The stories are inspiring; I read them in the morning as part of my devotions. I have finished the last volume of the series and would definitely purchase a number four if it is ever written.

The composer of the music, and the well-known chorus is William B. Bradbury. William Bradbury wrote the music for many hymns, a few you might be familiar with are: Just As I Am, Sweet Hour of Prayer, and My Hope is Built on Nothing Less.

Jesus loves me! This I know,
For the Bible tells me so;
Little ones to Him belong;
They are weak, but He is strong.

Refrain:
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
The Bible tells me so.

Jesus loves me! This I know,
As He loved so long ago,
Taking children on His knee,
Saying, “Let them come to Me.”

Jesus loves me still today,
Walking with me on my way,
Wanting as a friend to give
Light and love to all who live.

Jesus loves me! He who died
Heaven’s gate to open wide;
He will wash away my sin,
Let His little child come in.

Jesus loves me! He will stay
Close beside me all the way;
Thou hast bled and died for me,
I will henceforth live for Thee.