His Eye Is On The Sparrow

Questions come first in "His Eye Is On The Sparrow": "Why should I feel discouraged? Why should the shadows come? And why should my heart be lonely and long for Heaven and home?" The answer is given in the lines that follow, "when Jesus is my portion, my constant friend is He," and then in the refrain, "His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me."

The sparrow image comes from Jesus' teaching in Matthew 10:29-31 that not one sparrow falls without the Father, and from Matthew 6:26 about the birds of the air. "Portion" echoes Psalm 73:26, where God is the portion of the heart. The refrain turns that into a personal conviction, followed by "I sing because I'm happy, I sing because I'm free."

The second verse quotes comfort from Jesus: "let not your heart be troubled, His tender word I hear," which is John 14:1. "Resting on His goodness, I lose my doubts and fears" follows, and then an honest admission, "though by the path He leadeth but one step I may see." The song ends by repeating the sparrow line and humming "He watches me."