When I Am Baptized
#1054 Hymns—For Home and ChurchLyrics
The Story Behind “When I Am Baptized”
Written in one night by a woman too weak to play the piano aloud — the rainbow song that has opened Latter-day Saint baptisms for a generation.
A Rainbow in Primary
When Nita Dale Milner (1952–2004) was a girl, a Primary teacher taught her that Noah's flood was like a baptism for the earth — and that the rainbow was the sign of God's covenant afterward. The idea stayed with her for life: every rainbow was a reminder of washing clean and promising again.
In 1987, several of her nieces and nephews were preparing to be baptized, and Milner — a Salt Lake City pianist and piano teacher whose health struggles had left her very weak — wanted to give them a song. One night she woke her husband and asked for a pencil and paper. Sitting up in bed, she wrote the lyrics. Then she went to the piano, and, so as not to wake her sleeping son, played the melody silently — hands hovering above the keys, hearing it only in her head as she wrote the notes down. She titled it 'Rainbows.' It was finished in a single night.
A Baptism Standard
The song entered the Children's Songbook in 1989 and quietly became one of the most beloved things in it. For more than 35 years, 'I like to look for rainbows' has been sung at Latter-day Saint baptisms around the world — translated into more than 50 languages — pairing a child's delight in rain-washed skies with the doctrine of a fresh start.
Milner died in 2004 at just 51. Her song outlived her the way she hoped it would: the Church's hymn resource says she wanted children to know 'that baptism is a wonderful gift' and that we 'can be cleansed and forgiven of our sins as we turn to Jesus Christ each day.'
Into the Hymnbook — with a Gentle Update
On February 26, 2026, the song was released as hymn #1054 in Hymns—For Home and Church — and it made news as the first song added to the hymnal with revised lyrics. The second verse now says 'I choose the Savior's way, and I will be forgiven as I turn to Him each day,' shifting the emphasis from self-improvement to the Savior.
Primary General President Susan H. Porter explained the reason: the water of baptism 'is a symbol' — it is Christ's Atonement, not water, that cleanses — and baptized children can 'joyfully repent' every day of their lives. The rainbow still means what it meant to a little girl in Primary seventy years ago: God keeps His promises, and mornings come clean.
Did You Know?
- Nita Milner wrote the whole song in one night — composing the melody with her hands hovering silently above the piano keys so she wouldn't wake her son.
- She originally titled it 'Rainbows.'
- The song has been translated into more than 50 languages and sung at Latter-day Saint baptisms for over 35 years.
- In 2026 it became the first song added to the new hymnbook with updated lyrics, refocusing the second verse on the Savior.
- The rainbow idea came from her own Primary teacher, who taught that Noah's flood was like a baptism for the earth.
Scripture Connections
- Genesis 9:8–17 — The rainbow as the token of God's covenant with Noah — the image at the heart of the song.
- Romans 6:3–4 — Baptism as burial and rising to 'newness of life' — the clean fresh start the song celebrates.
- 3 Nephi 11:25–27 — The Savior's own instructions on baptism in the Book of Mormon.
- Mosiah 18:8–10 — The covenant we make at baptism — and the promise of His Spirit in return.
Talk About It
Questions to spark a conversation with your family or Primary class:
- When you see a rainbow, what could it remind you about Heavenly Father's promises?
- The song says the earth is 'clean and fresh' after rain. How is baptism like that for us?
- The updated words say we 'turn to Him each day.' Why is repenting a happy, everyday thing instead of a sad, rare one?
- Nita Milner wrote this song as a gift for children she loved. What gift could you make for someone being baptized?
Teaching Resources
Attribution
Music by: Nita Dale Milner, 1987
Text by: Nita Dale Milner, 1987; alt.
Audio files from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints