I wasn’t deeply familiar with Give Me Jesus until I sang it in college as a music major. It entered my life first as a choral piece—simple, spare, and unassuming. Over time, it became a song I returned to as a solo in worship service settings.
This arrangement tries to keeps that same spirit. It’s a simple band arrangement with a flare of acoustic guitar, allowing the weight and honesty of the lyric to stand on its own. There’s no attempt to embellish what doesn’t need embellishing. The words carry enough truth by themselves.
A Brief Word About the Song’s History
Give Me Jesus is an African American spiritual that traces back to the late 18th or early 19th century. Like many spirituals, it was passed down orally long before it was ever written or published. Its endurance comes from its clarity: when everything else is stripped away—comfort, certainty, even life itself—Christ alone is enough.
The song doesn’t argue or explain. It simply confesses. And that may be why it has remained meaningful across generations and cultures.
This Arrangement
I chose to keep this version unhurried and hopefully uncluttered enough. I hope this honors the intent of the song that we need Jesus above anything or any person in our lives. Have a listen if you would like-
🎧 Audio — Give Me Jesus (Listening Version)
There are seasons when faith doesn’t need many words. Give Me Jesus reminds me that sometimes one honest line is enough.
This song will be on my Christian music project of 10 songs, most of them original with a couple of timeless songs like the one above. If this collection of songs might resonate with you and you’d like to be notified when the music is ready to be shared, you’re welcome to leave your email here.
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