Music by Robert Lowry, 1872 (1826-1899)

I need thee every hour, most gracious Lord;

no tender voice like thine can peace afford.

Refrain

I need thee, O I need thee;

every hour I need thee;

O bless me now, my Savior, I come to thee.

I need thee every hour; stay thou nearby;

temptations lose their power when thou art nigh.

Refrain

I need thee, O I need thee;

every hour I need thee;

O bless me now, my Savior, I come to thee.

I need thee every hour, in joy or pain;

come quickly and abide, or life is vain.

Refrain

I need thee, O I need thee;

every hour I need thee;

O bless me now, my Savior, I come to thee.

I need thee every hour; teach me thy will;

and thy rich promises in me fulfill.

Refrain

I need thee, O I need thee;

every hour I need thee;

O bless me now, my Savior, I come to thee.

     Annie Hawks was a member of a Baptist Church in Brooklyn, New York. Her pastor, Robert Lowry, also a hymnwriter, encouraged Annie to write hymns. The words came to her in an atmosphere of love and joy while she was engaged in routine household duties. She experienced a sense of nearness to God and wondered how one could live without Him, either in joy or in pain. After writing the lyrics, Hawks gave them to her pastor, Robert Lowry, who added the tune and refrain. The hymn was first published at the National Baptist Sunday School Convention in Cincinnati, Ohio, in November 1872. Some years later, after the death of her husband, Hawks wrote: "I did not understand at first why this hymn had touched the great throbbing heart of humanity. It was not until long after, when the shadow fell over my way, the shadow of a great loss, that I understood something of the comforting power in the words which I had been permitted to give out to others in my hour of sweet serenity and peace."