Jesus, Saviour, Pilot Me in Tonic Solfa
Jesus, Saviour, Pilot Me in Tonic Solfa to PILOT: the solfa with the words, staff notation, the three verses, and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| mJe--,rsus, | dSav---t,iour,rpi-,d_l,lot | s,me,---fO--,mver | mlife’s--rtem-dpes-t,tuous | dsea;---rUn--,rknown |
| rwaves--s,be-l,fores,me | droll,---rHid--,ring | rrock--s,andl,treach-s,’rous | dshoal;---mChart-,rand |
| dcom---t,passrcome,d_l,from | s,Thee:---fJe--,msus, | mSav---riour,dpi-t,lot | dme!--- |
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- Key
- Bb major
- Doh
- Bb
- Time
- 3/4
- Starts on
- m (D)
- Range
- s, to f (F to E♭, a seventh)
- Tune
- PILOT
- Words
- Edward Hopper
- Music
- John Edgar Gould
Tune PILOT by John Edgar Gould (1821–1875); words by Edward Hopper (1816–1888). Sources and licences.
The solfa line by line
The same solfa as plain text, a line of the hymn at a time, with the words of the first verse under it — easy to copy into your own notes or a message to the choir. To print it, download the solfa as a PDF.
Doh is Bb · 3/4
Staff notation
The melody on the treble staff in Bb major, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
Jesus, Saviour, pilot me,
Over life’s tempestuous sea;
Unknown waves before me roll,
Hiding rock and treacherous shoal;
Chart and compass come from Thee:
Jesus, Saviour, pilot me!
As a mother stills her child,
Thou canst hush the ocean wild;
Boisterous waves obey Thy will
When Thou say’st to them, “Be still!”
Wondrous Sovereign of the sea,
Jesus, Saviour, pilot me!
When at last I near the shore,
And the fearful breakers roar
’Twixt me and the peaceful rest—
Then, while leaning on Thy breast,
May I hear Thee say to me,
“Fear not! I will pilot thee!”
How to sing it from the solfa
- Find doh first. Play or hum Bb and sing d r m f s up from it, so the whole choir has the key in their ears before you start.
- Pitch the first note. The tune starts on m (D), on the first syllable of “Jesus”, as a pickup before the first full bar.
- Count the time. 3/4 means three crotchet beats in each bar. In the grid every cell is half a crotchet: a dash (–) holds the note before it, and _ is a rest. A cell split by a comma holds two quarter beats: d -,r is a dotted quaver and a semiquaver, d,r two semiquavers. That comma sits between two syllables; an octave mark sits small and low against its own letter (s,).
- Know the notes. The tune uses d r m f s l t. A comma after a note (s,) is the octave below; an apostrophe (d') is the octave above.
New to solfa? Read how to read Tonic Solfa and how to find the doh of a song.
About the hymn
Edward Hopper, a Presbyterian minister who pastored the Church of Sea and Land, a church for sailors in New York, wrote the words; they were published in 1871. John Edgar Gould composed the tune PILOT for them the same year.
- Words (1871): Edward Hopper (1816–1888)
- Music (1871): John Edgar Gould (1821–1875)
Questions about Jesus, Saviour, Pilot Me
What is the doh of Jesus, Saviour, Pilot Me?
In this version, in Bb major, doh is Bb. If your choir sings it in another key, doh moves to the new key note and every solfa syllable stays the same — that is what movable doh means.
What note does Jesus, Saviour, Pilot Me start on?
It starts on m (D in Bb major), a pickup on the first syllable of “Jesus” before the first full bar. Find doh first, then sing up or down to m.
Is Jesus, Saviour, Pilot Me in the public domain?
Yes. Edward Hopper died in 1888, John Edgar Gould died in 1875; the words were first published in 1871 and the music in 1871. Everyone named died before 1955 and both were published before 1929, so the hymn is out of copyright in the UK, the EU, the United States and Nigeria. Modern arrangements and translations can still be under copyright.