America
Samuel Francis Smith (1832)
Context: This song was considered the unofficial national anthem of the United States for nearly a century. The tune is same as God Save the King, the British national anthem written in the seventeenth century.
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 they 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.
This version of lyrics from: http://www.contemplator.com/america/america.html
Downloadable audio from: Library of Congrees