The words are based on a Middle Irish poem that has traditionally been attributed to Dallán Forgaill.

[1] The best-known English version, with some minor variations, was translated in 1905 by Mary Elizabeth Byrne, then made into verse by Eleanor Hull and published in 1912.

Since 1919 it has been commonly sung to an Irish folk tune, noted as "Slane" in church hymnals,[1][2] and is one of the most popular hymns in the United Kingdom.

[3] The original Old Irish text, "Rop tú mo Baile", is often attributed to Saint Dallán Forgaill in the 6th century.

[6] A 14th-century manuscript attributed to Adhamh Ó Cianáin contains a handwritten copy of the poem in Middle Irish, and is held at the National Library of Ireland.

The text of "Rop tú mo Baile"/"Be Thou My Vision" reflects aspects of life in Early Christian Ireland (c.400-800 AD).

Such military symbolism was common in the poetry and hymnnology of Christian monasteries of the period due to the prevalence of clan warfare across Ireland.

[15] The tune is a more elemental distillation of earlier forms, such as "The Hielan's o' Scotland'[16] and "By the Banks of the Bann," also compiled in Joyce (1909).

[19] It was common practice [20] to attribute hymn tune names to the place where they were collected by folk song collectors, such as Ralph Vaughan Williams who co-edited The English Hymnal, published in 1906.

[22] The third was a popular wedding hymn, "God, In the Planning and Purpose of Life", written by John L. Bell and Graham Maule and first appearing in publication in 1989.

[23] The fourth is "Wake Now My Senses," written by Thomas Michaelson and published in "Singing the Living Tradition Hymnal" 1994, by the Unitarian Universalist Association.

It was released as a single in 2003 and at an extended reissue of Jöback's Christmas album Jag kommer hem igen till jul.

It was a hit in Norway and Sweden in the Christmas time of 2003 and a music video directed by Mikadelica was made in Denmark.

With Old Irish being the ancestor language of Modern Scottish Gaelic, the song was translated by Céitidh Mhoireasdan and published by Sabhal Mòr Ostaig.

Rop tussu t' áenur m' urrann úais amra: ní chuinngim daíne ná maíne marba.

Go Ríg na n-uile rís íar m-búaid léire; ro béo i flaith nime i n-gile gréine A Athair inmain, cluinte mo núall-sa: mithig (mo-núarán!)

Bí thusa ’mo threorú i mbriathar ’s i mbeart Fan thusa go deo liom is coinnigh mé ceart Glac cúram mar Athair, is éist le mo ghuí Is tabhair domsa áit cónaí istigh i do chroí.

Dèan dhòmh-sa tuigse, Cuir soills’ air mo smuain; Dh’iarrainn gur Tu Bhiodh ’gam stiùreadh gach uair; Làmh rium ’s an oidhche Is romham ’s an tràth, Réidh rium ’sa mhadainn Agus glèidh mi tro’n latha.

Ceartas do m’ bhriathran Agus fìrinn do m’ bheul, Thusa toirt iùil dhomh ’S mi dlùth riut, a Dhè.

Athair, thoir gràdh dhomh, Gabh mis’ thugad fhéin; Cum mi ri d’ thaobh Is bi daonnan ’nam chrè.