July 5, 2014 (Saturday) Fourth of July Weekend
Songs come from varied sources, and represent many genres. When we stop and think about it, we discover that we don’t have a huge number of patriotic songs in our country.
One of my favorites has roots that go back 400 years for the tune, and more than 100 years for the words.
Have you ever heard this song? Here’s how the first verse and chorus go:
O mother dear, Jerusalem,
When shall I come to thee?
When shall my sorrows have an end?
Thy joys when shall I see?
O my sweet home, Jerusalem,
Thy joys when shall I see?
The King that sitteth on thy throne
In his felicity?
Don’t recognize it? Maybe that’s because it was written in the 17th Century. Try singing it to the tune of “America the Beautiful,” you know how it goes–“Oh beautiful for spacious skies…”
Well, in 1893, a teacher from Massachusetts, Katharine Lee Bates, went to the top of Pike’s Peak, and the words to a poem came to her as she marveled at the wondrous sight from atop the mountain. As soon as she got back to her hotel room, she wrote down the words. The poem became a song when paired with the music to “O mother dear, Jerusalem,” by Samuel A. Ward. Whenever this song is presented in a certain arrangement by a full band or orchestra, I get tears in my eyes and a chill in my spine. (I love the Ray Charles version, too!) I love this song. Here’s the first verse:
O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!
“A strong push was made to adopt the hymn as the national anthem in 1926. However, President Hoover chose the “Star-Spangled Banner” instead. While Bates retained the copyright on her poem to protect it, she never sought any payment of royalties. It was her personal gift to the country. In 1993, 100 years after Bates ascended Pikes Peak, Colorado Springs’ businessman Costas Rombocos donated an “America the Beautiful” monument that was placed atop Pikes Peak. The monument can be seen on the observation platform to the south of the Summit House.” (Wikipedia).
If you ascend Pike’s Peak today, you’ll find this huge, beautiful bronze plaque engraved with the beautiful words of this wonderful patriotic hymn:
