The origin of the song is unclear, but the phrase "This little light of mine" appears published in poetry by 1925 by Edward G. Ivins, a writer in Montana. In 1931, the song is mentioned in a Los Angeles newspaper as "Deaconess Anderson's song". In 1932, the song was mentioned in a 1932 Missouri newspaper. In 1933, the song was mentioned in newspapers as being sung by a chorus at an
African Methodist Episcopal conference in
Helena, Montana, and then various other churches around the United States later that year. In June 1934
John and
Alan Lomax made its earliest known recording, of Jim Boyd of
Jacksonville, Texas, singing at the
State Penitentiary in
Huntsville, Texas. In 1939 Lomax returned to Texas with Ruby Lomax during their Southern States Recording Trip and recorded the song again. This song and others were sung by a black woman, Doris McMurray who was imprisoned at
Thomas Goree Unit in Texas and said that she learned the song from her grandmother in
Waco. She sang the following lyrics, taught to her by her grandmother: This little light o' mine, I'm goin' let it shine Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine. Ev'rywhere I go, I'm goin' let it shine (repeat) Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine. In my neighbor's home, I'm goin' let it shine (repeat) Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine. Many other verses have been added over the years, including impromptu lines appropriate to the occasion. The song is sung around the world, with the simple lyrics and tune resonating with all ages.
Harry Dixon Loes, who studied at the
Moody Bible Institute and the
American Conservatory of Music, was a musical composer and teacher, who wrote or co-wrote several other gospel songs. He wrote a popular adaptation of the song "This Little Light of Mine" in the 1940s but never copyrighted or claimed credit for writing the original, which remains of unknown origin. Often thought of as an
African-American spiritual, it can be found in modern hymnals such as
The United Methodist Hymnal, #585, adapted by William Farley Smith in 1987, and in the Unitarian Universalist Hymn Book,
Singing the Living Tradition, #118, with harmonies by Horace Clarence Boyer. The song does not appear in any of the major nineteenth-century collections of African American songs. While the song is most widely recognized as an African American spiritual, over the years it has been transformed into a song of resistance adopted by Civil Rights Movements. With such joyful and hopeful lyrics, "This Little Light of Mine" brought unification and strength to social movements, allowing oppressed groups to reinforce their shared identity and communicate their demands for equity. Freedom Singing, a congressional style of singing that often uses church hymns as a form of resistance in social protests, was quite common especially during the Civil Right Movement in the 1960's. Rutha Mae Harris, one of the four original freedom singers from Georgia, said the song "helped steady protestors' nerves as abusive police officers threatened to beat them or worse." Singing this exuberant, spiritual song also helped to deescalate the tension and agitation during the protests. ==Theme==