This Little Light of Mine
#1028 Hymns—For Home and ChurchLyrics
The Story Behind “This Little Light of Mine”
A simple Sunday School song from the African American spiritual tradition — teaching children to let the light of Christ shine, not hide it under a bushel.
A Light Passed Hand to Hand
No one knows who first sang 'This Little Light of Mine.' It grew out of the oral traditions of Christian communities in the American South — the Church's hymn resource traces its roots to before 1865 — and was passed voice to voice for generations before anyone wrote it down. Its earliest recording dates to 1931, and when folklorists for the Library of Congress recorded it in Texas in the 1930s, one singer said she had learned it from her grandmother.
The song's genius is its simplicity: Jesus taught that a candle belongs on a candlestick, not under a bushel — and this song lets even the smallest child hold the candle. For more than a century it has been a staple of Sunday Schools and children's worship, teaching Matthew 5 in a tune anyone can sing.
One popular legend deserves correcting: the song is often credited to a hymn writer named Harry Dixon Loes. Researchers — including at the school where Loes taught — found no evidence he wrote it, and he never claimed to. He did write a popular 1940s arrangement that added the 'hide it under a bushel? No!' verses children love.
Everywhere I Go
Few songs have traveled so far. Generations of children have learned it in Sunday School. Raffi sang it to a generation of toddlers. Bruce Springsteen took it on tour. And in May 2018, the Kingdom Choir sang it as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle walked out of St George's Chapel — a song born in the American South, recessing a royal wedding.
Its adaptable verses — 'everywhere I go... all through the night...' — are the secret. Every singer, from a Primary child to a gospel choir, can put their own life into it and let it shine.
Into the Latter-day Saint Hymnbook
On February 13, 2025, 'This Little Light of Mine' was released as hymn #1028 in Hymns—For Home and Church — the same day as 'Were You There?', making the pair among the first African American spirituals ever included in an official Latter-day Saint hymnbook.
Latter-day Saint children had already given it a warm-up: the Church featured it at its 2023 music festival and in a Friend to Friend broadcast before the hymnbook made it official. Now it sits beside Matthew 5 in the Church's study resources, teaching the same lesson it has taught for more than a century: don't hide your light.
Did You Know?
- The song is often wrongly credited to hymn writer Harry Dixon Loes — researchers at the school where he taught found no evidence he wrote it. He did add the beloved 'hide it under a bushel? No!' verses.
- A Library of Congress folklorist recorded it in Texas in 1939 from a singer who learned it from her grandmother in Waco.
- The Kingdom Choir sang it as the recessional at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding in 2018.
- It arrived in the Latter-day Saint hymnbook on the same day as 'Were You There?' — together, among the first African American spirituals in an official LDS hymnal.
Scripture Connections
- Matthew 5:14–16 — 'Let your light so shine before men' — the Sermon on the Mount teaching the song sets to music.
- 3 Nephi 18:24 — The risen Savior's version to the Nephites: 'Hold up your light that it may shine unto the world.'
- Doctrine and Covenants 50:24 — Light that 'groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day' — the promise of a light that keeps shining.
- Moroni 7:16–18 — The Light of Christ given to every person — the little light every singer is singing about.
Talk About It
Questions to spark a conversation with your family or Primary class:
- What is your 'light'? What are some ways you can let it shine this week?
- When is it hardest for you to let your light shine — and what helps you keep shining anyway?
- The song says 'hide it under a bushel? No!' Why do you think we're sometimes tempted to hide the good in us?
- This song was passed from grandparents to children for generations before it was ever written down. What songs or traditions has your family passed down to you?
Teaching Resources
Attribution
Music by: African American spiritual, 19th century; arr. 2025 | LIGHT OF MINE
Text by: African American spiritual, 19th century
Audio files from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints