Be Thou My Vision ('Slane') - Thomas Barnes, organ of Singleton Uniting Church

We had a reasonable audience at Singleton Uniting, and after setting up to record it was decided to begin with some hymn singing.

Whilst I recorded the three hymns that were sung, the reality was that I had set up with a view to recording the organ only, with directional microphones pointed at the organ. The result was predictable: we can hear the organ but the voices sound as if they were outside the building.

Despite this, I felt that we should publish one of the sung hymns: so here is Thomas Barnes playing 'Be Thou My Vision' on the 1904 Charles Richardson organ.

'Be thou my vision' was originally written in the eighth century by Irish monk Dallan Forgaill and was to remember and honour the faith of St Patrick. In 1905, the poem was translated into English by Mary Elizabeth Byrne. It was subsequently versified by Eleanor Hull and set to an old Irish folk tune that was arranged by David Evans and published in 1927.

Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart,
be all else but naught to me, save that thou art;
be thou my best thought in the day and the night,
both waking and sleeping, thy presence my light.

Be thou my wisdom, be thou my true word,
be thou ever with me, and I with thee, Lord;
be thou my great Father, and I thy true son;
be thou in me dwelling, and I with thee one.

Be thou my breastplate, my sword for the fight;
be thou my whole armour, be thou my true might;
be thou my soul's shelter, be thou my strong tower:
O raise thou me heavenward, great Power of my power.

Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise:
be thou mine inheritance now and always;
be thou and thou only the first in my heart;
O Sovereign of heaven, my treasure thou art.

High King of heaven, thou heaven's bright Sun,
O grant me its joys after victory is won;
great Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
still be thou my vision, O Ruler of all.

The recording was made on 4 October 2025.