I'll Be a Sunbeam Want Me for a Sunbeam". The latter version was covered by Nirvana. The hymn was also referenced in the lyrics of the song "Alibi" by Elvis Costello ("Maybe Jesus wants you for a sunbeam?"). I'll Be a Sunbeam "I'll Be a Sunbeam" (also called "Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam") is a popular children's Christian hymn composed by Nellie Talbot; it is sung to music composed in 1900 by Edwin O. Excell. Due to its age, the hymn has entered the public domain in the United States. Published in Chicago by Excell as hymn number 137 in his "Praises" in
Jesus Loves Me hymnals such as the Baptist Hymnal (1975), the subtitle had been dropped and the tune was simply called "CHINA". The poem and the hymn, or portions of them, have sometimes been revised. Some examples of this are The song has been recorded by a large number of different artists, either obscure or famous. Some versions include the following: Jesus Loves Me "Jesus Loves Me" is a Christian hymn written by Anna Bartlett Warner (1827–1915). The lyrics first appeared as a poem in the context of an 1860 novel called "Say and Seal", written by her older sister Susan Warner (1819–1885),