God be in my head, and in my understanding;
God be in mine eyes, and in my looking;
God be in my mouth, and in my speaking;
God be in my heart, and in my thinking;
God be at mine end, and at my departing.
Author: Unknown
Year: 1490
This is a traditional 15th-century English prayer, often dated to around 1490 from the Sarum Primer (or similar primers). No specific author is known; it is sometimes described as anonymous or from the Book of Hours tradition. Later musical settings (e.g., by Walford Davies in 1910 or John Rutter) use these pre-existing words.