Lyrics
Verse (Repeat x3)
In the morning, when I rise
In the morning, when I rise
In the morning, when I rise, give me Jesus
Chorus (Repeat x3)
Give me Jesus,
Give me Jesus,
You can have all this world,
But give me Jesus
Verse 2
When I am alone
When I am alone
When I am alone, give me Jesus
Verse 3
When I come to die
When I come to die
When I come to die, give me Jesus
Chorus (Repeat, closing)
Give me Jesus,
Give me Jesus,
You can have all this world,
You can have all this world,
You can have all this world,
But give me Jesus
Video
Meaning & Inspiration
"Give Me Jesus" opens with a simple, repeated setting, naming the moment of morning rising before stating the same request three times within one line. That minimal structure, one short request repeated rather than elaborated, grounds the entire song's devotion in simplicity rather than complex theology.
Its chorus names a direct trade, offering up the entire world in exchange for Jesus alone, repeating that exchange as the song's central, unwavering preference. Moving from morning to solitude to the moment of death, the song applies that same single request across every stage of life rather than only one circumstance.
Rooted in African American spiritual tradition, the song functions as an extended, lifelong declaration of singular devotion, its closing chorus repeating the phrase all this world three times before the final refusal, but give me Jesus, treating that same simple preference as sufficient for every season from waking to dying.
Related Scripture
- Mark 8:36 Asks what profit there is in gaining the whole world while losing one's soul, echoed in the song's repeated preference for Jesus over the entire world.
- Philippians 1:21 Describes living as Christ and dying as gain, echoed in the song's request for Jesus even at the moment of death.