July 5, 2020 (Sunday)
Several songs and hymns emphasize the role that God has played in the history of our wonderful, free nation. “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee” is one of those. The very title of the hymn is a statement of faith in God in behalf of the nation.
The correct title of the song is, “America.” But it seems to be better known by its first line, “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee.”
The words to “America” came about while a theology student from Boston, Samuel F. Smith, was studying in Germany. He noticed how German students began the school day by singing a hymn. He wrote “America” with the hope that American students in the United States would do the same with the hymn he had written. He set it to the tune of the British national anthem. The hymn was first heard in Boston on July 4, 1832, at Park Street Church at a children’s celebration. It served as the national anthem of the U.S. for 99 years, until “The Star-Spangled Banner” was officially adopted in March, 1931.
When the tune is sung as Great Britain’s national anthem, the anthem asks God’s blessings upon the reigning king or queen. When sung by Americans as a patriotic hymn, it praises God for the country in which they live. Seven countries have had anthems sung to the same tune.
Here are the four verses of “America:”
My country, ’tis of thee,
Sweet land of liberty,
Of thee I sing;
Land where my fathers died,
Land of the pilgrims’ pride,
From ev’ry mountainside
Let freedom ring!My native country, thee,
Land of the noble free,
Thy name I love;
I love thy rocks and rills,
Thy woods and templed hills;
My heart with rapture thrills,
Like that above.Let music swell the breeze,
And ring from all the trees
Sweet freedom’s song;
Let mortal tongues awake;
Let all that breathe partake;
Let rocks their silence break,
The sound prolong.Our fathers’ God to Thee,
Author of liberty,
To Thee we sing.
Long may our land be bright,
With freedom’s holy light,
Protect us by Thy might,
Great God our King!