Help Just a Little

Near the end of the 19th century, the simple but infectious music of the revival tents and missionary halls began to overshadow the traditional folksongs that had once dominated the sacred and secular worlds. They feature characteristically simple melodies, catchy rhythms, and refrains that are easy to remember.
Between 1880 and 1897, John R. Sweney and Kirkpatrick published nearly fifty hymnals and gospel songbooks. Among the most familiar of Kirkpatrick’s tunes are “My Faith Has Found a Resting Place,” “‘Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus” and “He Hideth My Soul.” His song “Help Just a Little” appeared for the first time in the Sweney & Kirkpatrick hymnal The Wells of Salvation: Songs for the Sabbath School (Philadelphia: John J. Hood, 1881). He set words by Mrs. E.C. Ellsworth to music in 4/8. 1890 saw the appearance of a new version of the gospel song. A text by Rev. Spencer and a change in meter to 3/4 give the song a gentler, more touching character.