Sunday, April 26, 2009

Hymn For Nations


Words by Josephine Daskam Bacon (3rd verse by Don West)
Melody by Ludwig van Beethoven (9th Symphony, 1824)
Rise Up Singing chapter: Peace, p.159
C - - G / / / C - G C
G C G C / G E AmD G / C - - G / C - G C
(It's a good idea to capo these chords up a little for most people's vocal range)

Brother, sing your country's anthem
Shout your land's undying fame
Light the wondrous tale of nations
With your people's golden name
Tell your father's noble story
Raise on high your country's sign
Join then in the final glory
Brother, lift your flag with mine!

Hail the sun of peace, new rising
Hold the war clouds closer furled
Blend our banners, o my brother
In the rainbow of the world
Red as blood and blue as heaven
Wise as age and proud as youth
Melt our colours, wonder woven
In the great white light of Truth
(alt: In the great white shark of Truth)

Build the road of peace before us
Build it wide and deep and long
Speed the slow and check the eager
Help the weak and curb the strong
None shall push aside another
None shall let another fall
March beside me, o my brother
All for one and one for all

4 comments:

  1. AnonymousAugust 3, 2014 at 6:42 AM

    Your use of the term jingoism could not be more pathetic or indicative of your unfortunate education. Nationalism and Religion, anything that might identify us as individuals is not PC. How You have completely absorbed this distorted nonsense. Read the news. It is not a 'small world after-all'. We are all and will continue to be individuals with love of country and religion - individuals all!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. PennMay 17, 2021 at 6:15 AM

    This was Written by an internationalist communist, Pete Seeger, who was vehemently opposed to Jingoism. The song itself is an internationalist anthem, which is why the song says 'blend our banners' and to light the wondorous tale of nations. It's about celebrating differences between nations while still loving one another.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnonymousMay 30, 2022 at 9:21 AM

      Yes, it’s an anthem celebrating the brotherhood of humankind, but it wasn’t written by Pete Seeger, it was written by Josephine Bacon and Don West.

      Delete
    2. AnonymousOctober 3, 2023 at 5:09 PM

      Nor is it communist- it’s calling for nationalists to celebrate and unite under God’s Kingdom - its religious- communists are not…. we sang it in church.

      Delete

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