Don’t Forget The Lyrics

Virginia Kruta, The Daily Wire

This past week, I’ve been re-watching some of my favorite episodes of “Outlander” — in part because I just love the history as it’s portrayed in the series and in part because, as my friend and NewsTalkSTL host Tim Jones is likely to commiserate, we’re currently in the midst of “Droughtlander” as we wait for the coming season.

In one of the episodes I watched this week, Claire — newly arrived in colonial North Carolina — repeats these words to Jamie: “My country, ’tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing.”

Being a Scot who fought for independence from the British in the 1746 Jacobite uprising, Jamie is amused by the fact that Americans took “God Save the King” — the British national anthem — and made it their own. But it got me thinking about the fact that no one ever sings the second verse of that song (the American version).

“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.”

And then it occurred to me that it’s not the only verse that has been lost to history. “America the Beautiful” has a few verses that are rarely heard as well.

“Oh 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;

Til all success be nobleness, and every gain divine.

Oh Beautiful, for Pilgrims’ feet, whose stern impassioned stress;

A thoroughfare for freedom beat, across the wilderness;

America, America, God mend thine every flaw;

Confirm thy soul in self-control, thy liberty in law.

Oh 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.”

Those verses are worth remembering.