Footprints in the Sand: Full Poem Text & Authorship

Few poems are as widely shared as “Footprints in the Sand” — yet almost nobody agrees on who wrote it. You’ve probably seen it on a bookmark, a poster, or a funeral program, but the story behind its creation is far more tangled than most people realize. This article traces the poem’s path from disputed copyright claims to its mistaken identity as a Bible verse, using documented sources to separate fact from folklore.

First known publication: 1963 (attributed to Mary Stevenson) ·
Commonly misattributed to: Anonymous, various authors ·
Copyright holder: Mary Fishzickson (for 1963 version) ·
Languages translated into: Over 30

Five key facts, one pattern: the poem’s history is built on multiple overlapping claims, each with partial documentation and no judicial consensus.

What are the words to the footprints in the sand poem?

Full text of the most common version

• The poem begins with “One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord.” (Poetry Foundation)
• It describes scenes from the dreamer’s life, with two sets of footprints that become one during difficult times.
• The version widely circulated in print and online runs approximately 25 lines.

Differences between early and later versions

• Multiple versions exist with minor wording changes (NPR).
• The 1963 Stevenson version differs from later adaptations published by Margaret Fishback Powers (The Gospel Coalition (Christian commentary)).
• Some reprints omit the final stanza or alter the closing lines for a more prayer-like tone.

The catch: Because the poem isn’t covered by a single clear copyright, online reprints vary dramatically — some even drop lines to fit a bookmark layout. The version you read may not be the version the claimants fought over.

Who originally wrote footprints in the sand?

Mary Stevenson’s claim and the 1963 copyright

• Mary Stevenson (later Fishzickson) registered copyright in 1963 (Poets & Writers).
• Stevenson said she wrote the poem as a teenager around 1936 (The Herald-Net (Washington newspaper)).
• Her son filed a federal lawsuit alleging copyright infringement against two other claimants (NPR).

Other claimants and their evidence

• Margaret Fishback Powers said she wrote the poem at a Thanksgiving retreat in Canada in 1964 (The Columbus Dispatch).
• Carolyn Carty reportedly wrote her version in 1963 when she was 6 years old, according to The Herald-Net and Fortune/CNNMoney (business magazine).
• NPR reported that about a dozen people have claimed authorship and that three people had copyrighted it (NPR).

Current copyright status

• All three women have registered copyrights for the poem (Poetry Foundation).
• The poem is often listed as “author unknown” in many reprints (Poetry Foundation).
• No court has definitively ruled on the original authorship — the legal dispute from 2008 did not reach a final verdict (Techdirt).

What this means: If you’re a publisher wanting to reprint the poem, you face a minefield. Each claimant’s estate could assert rights, and the lack of a court ruling leaves the field wide open for disputes.

Is footprints in the sand a Bible verse?

Biblical themes and verses often associated

• The poem draws on themes from Deuteronomy 1:31 (“the Lord your God carried you”), but is a modern allegory (The Gospel Coalition).
• Many readers assume it’s from scripture because of its prayer-like language and frequent inclusion in religious gift shops (NPR).

Why it is not a verse from any book of the Bible

• The poem is not a Bible verse and does not appear in any canonical scripture (Poetry Foundation).
• It was written in the 20th century, millennia after the biblical canon was closed (The Gospel Coalition).
• Misattribution sold millions of copies in religious gift shops, but the poem remains a human composition, not divine revelation.

The trade-off: The poem’s popularity owes much to its mistaken scriptural tag. If it were correctly labeled as a modern poem, it might have less authority — but its actual message remains unchanged.

What is the Catholic prayer for footprints?

The Footprints Prayer as used in Catholic devotion

• The Footprints Prayer is a shortened, prayerful adaptation of the poem (The Gospel Coalition).
• It is often printed in Catholic prayer booklets and on bookmarks, especially at Lourdes and other Marian shrines.
• Lourdes Prayer Request includes a version of the prayer (NPR mentions similar adaptations).

Differences between the poem and the prayer

• The prayer version omits the narrative framing of a dream and addresses God directly.
• It typically ends with a question-and-answer format (“Lord, why did you leave me? … I carried you”).
• Some Catholic versions add a final blessing or “Amen,” which the original poem lacks.

The pattern: The prayer adaptation makes the poem more suitable for devotional use, but it also moves it further from the original 1963 text. Catholic readers often encounter the prayer version without ever seeing the poem proper.

Who sang Footprints in the Sand first?

Leona Lewis’s 2008 hit and its origins

• Leona Lewis released “Footprints in the Sand” as a single in 2008 for the BBC’s Sport Relief charity (NPR).
• The song reached the UK top 40 and became associated with the BBC’s charity coverage.
• It was co-written by Simon Cowell’s team and bears no direct lyrical connection to the poem — only the title.

Earlier musical settings by other artists

• Several gospel artists set the poem to music before 2008, including the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir.
• These earlier versions used the poem text itself, whereas Lewis’s song uses a separate set of lyrics.
• No single “first” musical setting has been established — the poem was set to music informally for decades.

The implication: The song’s success further popularized the poem’s title, but it also added to the confusion: many people now assume the poem and the song are the same thing.

Timeline section

• 1963 — Mary Stevenson registered copyright for “Footprints in the Sand” (Poets & Writers).
• 1964 — Margaret Fishback Powers said she wrote the poem at a retreat in Canada (The Columbus Dispatch).
• 1980s — Widespread circulation of the poem in Christian bookstores and on the internet (NPR).
• 2008 — Leona Lewis released the song “Footprints in the Sand”; federal lawsuit filed by Stevenson’s son (NPR, Techdirt).

The pattern: Every major date in the poem’s history comes from a different claimant, and none of the dates match. This is not a case of gradual rediscovery — it’s a series of contradictory origin stories.

Clarity section

Confirmed facts

• The poem is not from the Bible (Poetry Foundation).
• Multiple versions exist with different wording (NPR).
• It is a modern allegorical poem, not ancient scripture (The Gospel Coalition).

What’s unclear

• Who the original author is remains disputed (NPR).
• The exact year of the first writing is contested (1963 vs. 1964) (The Columbus Dispatch).
• Which version is the “original” is not definitively settled (Poetry Foundation).

The upshot: If you need a clear attribution, you won’t find one. The best approach is to cite the poem as “author unknown” — the one label no one successfully contested.

Quotes from key voices

“About a dozen people have claimed authorship of ‘Footprints in the Sand,’ and three people have copyrighted it.”

— NPR (national public radio), 2008

“Stevenson did not copyright the piece until 1984.”

— Poets & Writers (writers’ resource), 2008

“Margaret Fishback Powers said she wrote the poem at Thanksgiving in Canada during a religious retreat in 1964.”

— The Columbus Dispatch (Ohio newspaper), 2008

“‘Footprints’ was sometimes signed ‘Author Unknown,’ while other times it was credited to Mary Stevenson, Margaret Fishback Powers, or Carolyn Joyce Carty.”

— Poetry Foundation (literary journal), 2014

For the reader trying to understand “Footprints in the Sand,” the honest answer is that the poem’s power comes from its universality, not its pedigree. The authorship may never be settled, and the mistaken Bible-verse label is unlikely to disappear. For publishers and churches that want to use the poem, the safest path is to credit “author unknown” and acknowledge the multiple claimants. For the rest of us, the poem remains what it always was: a comforting allegory about faith during hard times — no matter who wrote it.

For a deeper look at the poem’s disputed authorship, the poems disputed authorship provides additional context on its origins and popular misconceptions.

Frequently asked questions

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