This is a hymn I grew up with at my Catholic school, Immaculate Heart of Mary. As soon as June came, I knew we would sing Heart of Jesus, Hear during the Offertory at daily Mass.
There is a beautiful descant for the chorus. If your children get comfortable with the main melody, you should give it a try! I included it in the sheet music below.
I sung this almost every night to my boys a couple years ago; it makes a great bedtime song. I hope that they sing it to their kids when they grow up, too!
The text is tender, and makes my heart yearn for heaven (one sign of a good quality devotional hymn.) The thoughts of resting in the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and pleading Him to “never let us part”, have continually touched my heart over the many years of singing this hymn.
Sheet Music
Option 1: Original version from 1921, arranged by Victor Hammell
Heart of Jesus PDF (Victor Hammell)
Option 2: An arrangement I made
It’s in a lower key, with the rhythm I’m familiar with, and the descant separated out until the 3rd repeat of the chorus. (for beginner learning’s sake)
Heart of Jesus, Hear (Heart of Jesus, Meek and Mild) PDF
Option 3: Alternate melody from 1907
Although the title is a little different (Heart of Jesus Meek and Mild), the text is the same. This (I think original) version is in the Sisters of Notre-Dame’s Sunday School Hymn Book from 1907, found on Hymnary.org. The entire Sunday School Hymn Book can be found online, too! Visit Corpus Christi Watershed to download it.
Audio
For Option 1: Listen to a BEAUTIFUL recording done at St. Cecilia’s in Boston, provided by Catholic Devotional Hymns.
For Option 2: MIDI file that matches the sheet music I made: Heart of Jesus, Hear
Note: 1st chorus you hear the melody, 2nd chorus you hear the descant, and the 3rd chorus is both together
Lyrics
Heart of Jesus, meek and mild
Hear, oh hear thy feeble child.
When the tempest’s most severe,
Heart of Jesus, hear.
Chorus:
Sweetly, we’ll rest on thy Sacred Heart
Never from Thee, oh let us part.
Hear, then, Thy loving children’s prayer:
Heart of Jesus, Heart of Jesus, hear.
Make me Jesus wholly thine,
Change this wayward heart of mine,
Lead me through this world so drear,
Heart of Jesus hear!
Chorus
When I draw my latest breath,
When mine eyes shall close in death,
Then, sweet Jesus, be Thou near.
Heart of Jesus, hear!
Chorus
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Very nice Erin, this song was always a favorite of my parents, now my kids can learn to play it, thank you.
That makes me so happy to hear, Margaret! I hope they enjoy playing it…it sounds much better on a real piano than the stiff MIDI recording. 🙂
Thank you Erin!!! As the only Catholic left in my family, this tender song took me to a time and a place where my Mother was beside me singing in earnest and l felt Jesus so very near. Tears streamed down my face,plopping into my lap. lf you hadn’t put the words and music here, it would’ve made my search all the harder. Thanks a million!!!!!
Janie
I used to play this in church when I was younger but has since forgotten how. Thank you for bringing it back to me. Now that I have been given the opportunity to play in church again, this is a great help. God Bless.
You’re very welcome! Happy to hear that more people will hear it from you, playing at your church! God bless you, too.
I’m up in the middle of the night,going over emails, relating to the Sacred Heart and recalled this hymn that my mother and I sang quite often. I learned both the descant and the soprano and loved to sing it in Church with my class. Now I am elderly and recall the peace I felt singing this hymn, sitting next to mom on the organ bench…Thank you for sharing this hymn and the audio clip. I will probably return to this site to listen to more of the recorded older hymns. God bless you!
Thank you very much for sharing this. I am a music minister at a small Catholic Church and I was so grateful to find this. Grateful for YOUR ministry. Thank you.
Hi Erin,
I was planning hymns for Masses and stumbled upon this. What a happy accident! Thank you so much. This is one of all time favorites and until now, I didn’t find a recording I was happy with. Now bookmarking this!
Ria
So beautiful! I plan on using this song to celebrate the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus at Little Sisters of the Poor this Friday. Thank you for your recording, accessible music, and sweet reminiscing 🙂 God bless you and your work!