His Sheep Am I

"His Sheep Am I" is a hymn which pictures the Lord as our Shepherd bringing us into green pastures and beside the still waters is “His Sheep Am I” (#328 in Hymns for Worship Revised).  The text was written and the tune was composed both by Orien Garth Johnson, who was born in 1913.   Following his graduation from Wheaton College in Illinois with a music major, he stayed on as band director and trumpet instructor.  One of his students was Billy Graham, who he often said was a poor trumpet player but he understood had other talents.  After Orien married Lillian Ferry in 1935, the Johnsons, who had a son and a daughter, moved to Seattle, WA, where he became music director at Ballard High School.   

     Later Johnson formed a Brass Choir, and played throughout the western United States.  At one concert in the capitol building of Olympia, WA, he played triple-tongued.  President Harry Truman was in attendance and remarked, “You have good lips.”  In addition, Johnson was a pioneer of Young Life, an organization that works with youth all over the country.  Having first encountered the group in Washington, he moved to Colorado in 1947 to become its director of publications, leading the Cañon City Young Life Club, and was one of the great figures in its history.  Kids traveling to the Colorado ranches in the ’50s were entertained and enthralled by the Star Ranch funny-man with his cornet and clown outfit.  Also he served as music director of the First Presbyterian Church of Colorado Springs, CO, and produced several pieces of religious music.  

     Johnson’s most famous song is “His Sheep Am I,” copyrighted in 1956 and assigned to Sacred Songs, a division of Word.  The text of stanza 2 in Hymns for Worship was written by co-editor Dane K. Shepard (b. 1951).  As I did research on the hymn, I found a number of websites with a “second stanza,” but each one was different.  His niece, Linda C. Gorby of Temple City, CA, noted that “The additional verses are NOT part of the original song.”  Apparently some others also set out to add to Johnson’s original single stanza.    Active well into his 80’s, running in marathons and climbing fourteeners, he had two leadership books and six humor books published, and wrote a weekly humor column, before passing away on Jan. 9, 2011, at the age of 97. 

      Among hymnbooks published among members of the Lord’s church for use in churches of Christ, the only one I know of in which the song appears is Hymns for Worship Revised.  The music there was arranged by co-editor R. J. Stevens (b. 1927).  In the original edition, #328 was “Make Jesus Lord of Your Life,” with text written and tune composed both by Dusty Owens in 1984, and arrangement made by Dane K. Shepard in 1986.

     The song pictures us as sheep following the Good Shepherd.

To download the easy alphanotes and chords sheet music, look here. Enjoy!

In God's green pastures feeding, by His cool waters lie,
Soft in the evening walk my Lord and I;
All the sheep of His pasture fare so wondrously fine,
His sheep am I.
Waters cool, [in the valley] pastures green, [on the mountain]
In the evening walk my Lord and I;
Dark the night, [in the valley,] rough the way, [on the mountain,]
Step by step, [step by step,] my Lord and I.