This is an extended version of the hymn “(America) My Country ‘Tis of Thee.” I love the original, but I felt it was lacking in verses. As a hymn, I know people often sing certain verses rather than the whole song, and they sometimes have different verses altogether in their hymnals.
I wanted to add a significant number of verses to this song that follow the same melody, rhyme scheme, syllable count, theme, and meaning. My goal was to give a greater volume of verses to choose from while still maintaining the integrity of the song.
The extension adds nine verses, bringing it up to thirteen in total. This was done to coincide with the Thirteen Original Colonies that signed the Declaration of Independence.
The original hymn was written by Samuel Francis Smith in 1832. The melody is adapted from the British national anthem, “God Save the King.” Before the adoption of the “Star Spangled Banner” as the official national anthem of the USA, “My Country ‘Tis of Thee” served as a sort of de facto national anthem.
To elaborate on the aforementioned, I wrote this extension primarily to add more verses speaking of the character and faithfulness of the American people across time and space as a Christian nation in a Godless world. We are a people who have struggled with enemies internally and externally, physically and spiritually. As each generation passes, those forces of evil only grow greater. As it is written, “he who endures to the end shall be saved” (Matthew 24:13).
I also wrote this as a gift to the American people this Independence Day. It is the 4th of July, 2024. Long may our land be bright, until we are all called home.
My country tis of thee
Sweet land of liberty
Of thee I sing
Land where my fathers died
Land of the pilgrims' pride
From every 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
Land of the righteous free
Home of the brave are we
Brothers, come sing
Sing of Christ's victory
Praise God and King do we
Who gives us liberty
Now freedom rings
In God we place our trust
He who is right and just
To heal our land
Him do we need always
To guide us all our days
For this we ever praise
And take our stand
To us you gave your sheep
A republic to keep
This we hold dear
A home away from home
No more are we to roam
This, a piece of shalom
On the frontier
A people strong and firm
Faith to outlast the wyrm
Hope without end
Forever shall we be
Steadfast and yoked to Thee
Until You choose to see
Us all ascend
Though darkness near may creep
Over our holy keep
It shall not win
In Christ we take our pride
In faith we all shall die
Stood by the Father's side
Heeding no sin
My fellow countrymen
We storm the devil's den
To fight as one
Our Lord and God most just
Praise for sustaining us
Through hell and back we thrust
Till all is done
Though evil surely comes
Never shall we succumb
We fighting men
Always shall God provide
Evil always denied
We all in faith have died
To rise again
Shamed and forlorn have we
Been on behalf of Thee
Hated by all
Strengthened through all are we
Never forsaking Thee
Till we are called to be
Home in your halls
Blasphemers on all sides
Is when we take our stride
In these last days
When every tribe shall come
Every nation and tongue
Americans as one
Shall lead the way
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