Originally this hymn had four stanzas of eight lines each, of which SDAH has the first, first half of the second, second half of the third, and first half of the fourth, but in a different order.

As is customary in all Jane Leeson’s poems, she ends with a quotation from Scripture to balance one quoted at the beginning. It should be noted that stanza 1, line 2, should read: “Love’s sweet lesson—‘to obey,’” which gives a deeper meaning, namely that the lesson is one of obedience, which manifests love.

Jane Eliza Leeson was born in 1807 or 1808 and lived most of her life in London, where she was active in the work of the Catholic Apostolic Church at Gordon Square. Some of her hymns were improvised during services at the church. The Handbook to The Church Hymnary, 1927, records this witness from a member of the church who witnessed one of these instant words creations: “I have not known anyone with a similar gift. … She only exercised her gift at long intervals, and could choose her own time and her own subject.” Her hymns have been much appreciated and used, especially SDAH 549, “Loving Shepherd of Thy Sheep.” “Savior, Teach Me” first appeared in her Hymns and Scenes of Childhood, 1842. A number of other books of hymns for children came from her pen. She died November 18, 1881, at Leamington, Warwickshire, England.

The composer of the unnamed tune, A. L. (“Pete”) Butler, was born June 29, 1933, at Noble, Oklahoma. He was educated at Oklahoma Baptist University (B. Mus.) and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (M. Mus.). During his student days, he held church music positions in Oklahoma and Kentucky. In 1960 he began a long period of service on the staff of First Baptist Church, Ada, Oklahoma. Other positions he held in that state are president of the Baptist Musicians and a member of the board of directors of the Baptist General Convention. He composed a number of hymn tunes, anthems, and a cantata, Something Wonderful.

“Savior, Teach Me Day by Day” was originally written by Butler as a two-part anthem and published in 1969 by Fine Arts Music Press, Tulsa, Oklahoma. Wayne Hooper (1920– ), while directing the music for the Voice of Prophecy radio broadcast, used it as a solo. He also made an arrangement for the King’s Heralds Quartet with orchestral accompaniment, which was a part of their 1976 recording on Chapel Records titled Love. Hooper condensed the original anthem especially for SDAH.

Butler also wrote the tune ADA for SDAH 338, “Redeemed.”