Jesus Loves Me is one of the most recognized hymns ever written, and it’s also a perfect fingerstyle piece for advanced beginner to intermediate guitarists. By the end of this lesson you’ll have the chords, melody, and a complete fingerstyle arrangement you can actually play through.

Grab your guitar and let’s get started!

How to read the guitar chord charts

To clarify how to read the chord charts, 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.

Jesus Loves Me – Chords

In the key of G Major, the chords we’re using here are G Major, C add 2, D Major, D/F#, E minor 7, G/B, and G/D. 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.

Here are some other resources on chords:

• Master the basic chords on guitar
• 6 tips to get better at switching between chords on guitar
• How to play chord inversions on guitar

Jesus Loves Me – Melody and Chords

For the sheet music below, keep in mind that the chords and melody 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.

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

Jesus Loves Me – Lyrics

Verse 1:
Jesus loves me, this I know, 
for The Bible tells me so. 
Little ones to him belong; 
They are weak, but he is strong. 

Chorus: 
Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me! 
Yes, Jesus loves me, for the Bible tells me so. 

Verse 2:
Jesus loves me he who died,
Heaven’s gate to open wide. 
He will wash away my sin, 
let his little child come in. (Chorus)

Verse 3:
Jesus loves me, this I know, 
as he loved so long ago, 
taking children on his knee, 
saying, “Let them come to me.” (Chorus)

Reference: Jesus loves me. hymnary.org

Jesus Loves Me – Fingerstyle Arrangement

Finally, here’s the finger style arrangement where we connect the melody and chords together. If needed, check out this lesson to learn how to finger pick on guitar.

The numbers next to some of the notes indicate which finger to use on the fretting hand.

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

📘 Get the free Practice Blueprint: Build better habits and make your progress more consistent. Download the free guide →

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

Explore Songs with Guitar Tabs