Verses 1 & 2, anon­y­mous, in Lit­tle Child­ren’s Book for Schools and Fam­i­lies, by J. C. File (Phil­a­del­phia, Penn­syl­van­ia: Evan­gel­ic­al Lu­ther­an Church in North Amer­i­ca, 1885). Some sourc­es show the au­thor as Mar­tin Lu­ther; this at­tri­bu­tion (prob­ab­ly in­cor­rect) is based on the ti­tle Lu­ther’s Cra­dle Hymn, giv­en to these words by the com­pos­er, James Mur­ray, in his Dainty Songs for Lit­tle Lads and Lass­es (Cin­cin­na­ti, Ohio: The John Church Com­pa­ny, 1887). Verse 3 is by John T. Mc­Far­land:

Bishop Will­iam F. An­der­son has giv­en the sto­ry of the writ­ing of the third stan­za:

When I was sec­re­ta­ry of the Board of Ed­u­ca­tion, 1904-08, I want­ed to use Away in a man­ger, which I found with the des­ig­na­tion, Mar­tin Lu­ther’s Cra­dle Song, in the Child­ren’s Day pro­gram one year. It had but two stan­zas, 1 and 2. Dr. John T. Mc­Far­land, then Sec­re­ta­ry of our Board of Sun­day Schools, was my near neigh­bor in his of­fice at 150th Fifth Avenue (New York). I asked him to write a third stan­za. He went to his of­fice and with­in an hour brought me the third stan­za be­gin­ning, Be near me, Lord Je­sus, I ask Thee to stay. I used it, which was the first time it was ev­er pub­lished. I am pleased to see that it is now be­ing used ve­ry wide­ly. The hon­or of it be­longs to that great and good man, John T. Mc­Far­land.

McCutchan, p. 436

Mueller, James R. Murray, 1887 (MIDI, NWC, PDF). Al­tern­ate tune:

• Cradle Song, Wil­liam J. Kirk­pat­rick, 1895 (MIDI, NWC, PDF); adapt­ed from the tune Af­ton, by James E. Spil­man.