His Eye is on the Sparrow is a hymn written by Civilia D. Martin. In this lesson, we cover the chords for this song, sheet music for the melody including tabs, and also a finger-style guitar arrangement.

Grab your guitar and let’s get started!

How to read the guitar chord charts

To clarify how to read the chord charts in the next section, the top horizontal line represents the high E string and the bottom horizontal line represents the low E string. The vertical lines separate each fret. The numbers in the blue dots tell you which fingers to use on the fretting hand. 

For example, on the G Major chord, you use the:

• 2nd finger on the 6th string, 3rd fret
• 1st finger on the 5th string, 2nd fret
• 3rd finger on the 2nd string, 3rd fret
• 4th finger on the 1st string, 3rd fret
• Circles represent open strings
• On some other chords, X means to avoid the string

You can check this link for more on how to read guitar notation symbols.

His Eye is on the Sparrow chords

The chords we’re using for the sheet music in the next section are G Major, C Major, B minor 7(b5), E 7, A minor 7, D Major, E minor, and D# diminished 7. You can click on the chords with links to learn different ways of playing that chord.

Try the following chords one at a time until you feel comfortable switching between them. These chords will be written above the melody in the next section.

By the way, you can get all the PDFs of this song below.

Here are some other resources on chords:

• 6 tips to get better at switching between chords on guitar
• How to play the essential 7th chords on guitar
• How to play minor 7 b5 chords on guitar
• How to play diminished chords on guitar
  

His Eye is on the Sparrow guitar tabs and chords

This section shows you the melody of the song with guitar tabs and the chords written above the staff. Keep in mind that the melody and chords are meant to be played as separate parts. We’ll look at how to connect these parts later in the arrangement section of this lesson.

When playing the chords part, continue playing the same chord when switching to a measure that doesn’t show one. For example, you would play G Major for the first two measures.

You can refer to this simple guide to understanding music symbols if needed.

You can also learn a finger-style guitar arrangement of this song after the lyrics below.

His Eye is on the Sparrow lyrics

Verse 1:
Why should I feel discouraged, 
Why should the shadows come,
Why should my heart be lonely, 
And long for heav’n and home;
When Jesus is my portion? 
My constant Friend is he;
His eye is on the sparrow, 
And I know he watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, 
And I know he watches me.

Chorus:
I sing because I’m happy, 
I sing because I’m free;
For his eye is on the sparrow, 
And I know he watches me.

Verse 2:
“Let not your heart be troubled,” 
His tender word I hear,
And resting on his goodness,
I lose my doubts and fears;
Though by the path he leadeth, 
But one step I may see; 
His eye is on the sparrow, 
And I know he watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, 
And I know he watches me. (Chorus)

Verse 3:
Whenever I am tempted, 
Whenever clouds arise;
When songs give place to sighing, 
When hope within me dies,
I draw the closer to him, 
From care he sets me free;
His eye is on the sparrow, 
And I know he watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, 
And I know he watches me. (Chorus)

Reference: His Eye is on the Sparrow. hymnary.org

His Eye is on the Sparrow guitar arrangement

In this section, we are essentially connecting the melody and chords together using a finger-style method of playing.

The numbers next to some notes on the top staff indicate which fingers to use on the fretting hand.

If needed, check out this lesson to learn how to finger pick on guitar.

If you like this style of playing, you can check out this lesson to learn how to connect a melody and chords on guitar.

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Want to learn more songs? Check out the sheet music with guitar tabs resource on this site.

Explore Songs with Guitar Tabs