Friday, July 3, 2009

God Shed His Grace on Thee

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY: As we celebrate may we keep these words in mind. May God indeed shed His grace on this country.


America the Beautiful

Words by Katharine Lee Bates,
Melody by Samuel Ward

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!

O beautiful for pilgrim feet
Whose stern impassioned stress
A thoroughfare of freedom beat
Across the wilderness!
America! America!
God mend thine every flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law!

O beautiful for heroes proved
In liberating strife.
Who more than self their country loved
And mercy more than life!
America! America!
May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness
And every gain divine!

O beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam
Undimmed by human tears!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

O beautiful for halcyon skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the enameled plain!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
Till souls wax fair as earth and air
And music-hearted sea!

O beautiful for pilgrims feet,
Whose stem impassioned stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat
Across the wilderness!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
Till paths be wrought through
wilds of thought
By pilgrim foot and knee!

O beautiful for glory-tale
Of liberating strife
When once and twice,
for man's avail
Men lavished precious life!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
Till selfish gain no longer stain
The banner of the free!

O beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam
Undimmed by human tears!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
Till nobler men keep once again
Thy whiter jubilee!

7 comments:

Maggie Thornton said...

Thank you for the inspiration Ticker. These are indeed beautiful and meaning words to remember.

Have a beautiful Independence Day.

Anonymous said...

Happy Fourth and thanks for all that you do all year long

Fred G.

Bryan said...

"May God indeed shed His grace on this country."

Indeed! And may we see more walking in that grace instead of treading on it.

Ticker said...

Amen to that Bryan. We seem to have exchanged the real grace for a "cheap grace" that feels nice .

~Leslie said...

Ah, one of my most favorite patriotic songs to sing! Thanks for posting that one! Have a Happy Fourth of July!

*And thank you for being one who has served our country to maintain that freedom.

~Leslie

Anonymous said...

Happy Independence Day, Ticker ... my best to you and yours. I pray we do not confine our patriotism to one day a year, any more than we confine our Christianity to Easter. Both are an up-hill battle for all of us because of the communist education model pursued in most of our nation’s public schools. If there was ever a time America needs to be on bended knee asking for the Blessings of the Almighty Father … now is that time.

Semper Fidelis

Anonymous said...

How I miss hearing those words!!!!

I remember when I was a young child in school, when we could sing this type of song in school, led by our teachers.

Where has this country gone?