Turn Your Eyes upon Jesus
Words and music by Helen Howarth Lemmel (1922). Published 1922; public domain in the United States. Helen H. Lemmel (1864–1961); public domain in the Philippines under RA 8293 (life + 50 years, since 2011).
Verse 1
GO soul are you wea-ry and Ctrou-bled
No Glight in the dark-ness you Dsee
There's Glight for a look at the CSav-ior
And Glife more a-Dbun-dant and Gfree
Verse 2
GThrough death in-to life ev-er-Clast-ing
He Gpassed and we fol-low Him Dthere
O-Gver us sin no more hath do-Cmin-ion
For Gmore than con-q'rors Dwe Gare
Verse 3
GHis Word shall not fail you He Cprom-ised
Be-Glieve Him and all will be Dwell
Then Ggo to a world that is Cdy-ing
His Gper-fect sal-Dva-tion to Gtell
Chorus
GTurn your eyes up-on CJe-Gsus
Look Gfull in His Dwon-der-ful Gface
And the Gthings of earth will grow Emstrange-ly Amdim
In the Glight of His Dglo-ry and Ggrace
Structure
Playing Tips
🎸 Strum Pattern — Verse
This is a 3/4 waltz and I play it that way every time — bass note on beat 1, two gentle strums on beats 2 and 3. I learned this the hard way: I was strumming it in 4/4 for months and it always felt slightly off, like the tune was fighting the rhythm. The moment I switched to the waltz pattern it breathed. On guitar, hit the root bass note on beat 1, then strum mid strings on 2 and treble on 3. Keep the touch light. This song does not want heavy hands or a busy strum — it wants a rocking, pastoral feel that matches the invitation in the lyric.
🔊 Dynamics — Chorus
The Em - Am movement in the line "the things of earth will grow strangely dim" is the harmonic and emotional center of the chorus. I never rush through it. That minor turn — Em then Am, both settling under the word "dim" — is the sound of the world losing its grip. I play the chorus at the same volume as the verse, sometimes even pulling back slightly, because the power is in the stillness, not the volume. The congregation goes quiet when they sing it if you give them the space. Do not fill that space with more sound.
🎵 Band Direction
We play this with just acoustic guitar and piano almost every time. Piano plays the melody in the right hand with a simple waltz bass-chord pattern in the left. No electric guitar, no drums. We tried adding a full band once and it made the song feel like something it is not. If your setting truly calls for more instrumentation, limit it to brushes on a snare — nothing on the kick — and have the bass player follow the waltz feel by playing the root on beat 1 and resting on 2 and 3. The song carries itself. The band's job is to stay out of its way.
🎤 Vocal
Key of G in 3/4 at 66 BPM is comfortable for nearly every voice. The melody peaks at D5 on "wonderful face" — reachable for most sopranos and altos without strain, and tenors sing it an octave lower with ease. I sing the first verse solo as an invitation, let the congregation join on the second, and by the chorus everyone is in. Capo 2 for A, capo 5 for C if a lower key suits your leader. The lyric "look full in His wonderful face" is one of the most direct invitations to worship I have ever sung — deliver it like you mean it personally, not like you are announcing a song title.
→ Transitions
We reach for this hymn most often as a response after a sermon on surrender, focus, or fixing our eyes on Christ. It also sits beautifully before communion — the chorus "turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face" is a perfect preparation for the Table. After the final chorus I let the G ring, allow a few seconds of silence, and do not fill it. The silence after "in the light of His glory and grace" is not empty — it is full of what cannot be said with more words.