The TIE July 2018 Edition

The TIE that binds the church & home together Volume 79, Issue 7
Page 4
Lori’s “Grace Notes”
My Country, ‘Tis of Thee
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 mountain side 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!
This patriotic hymn was written by Samuel Francis Smith in 1831. He was one of the outstanding Baptist
preachers of that time. Born in Boston, Massachusetts and graduating from Harvard, he served several very large
Baptist churches throughout the North East. When he was just 24 years old, a friend, Lowell Mason, gave him a
copy of a German patriotic poem, which translates as “God Bless our Native Land”. Samuel was so moved by
this poem, that he thought our young nation needed its own stirring poem with music. He completed it in a
month, and it was set to an international tune originating from England that was over 200 years old.
On the following 4th of July in 1831, “My Country ‘Tis of Thee” was performed by Samuel’s Children’s Choir
from the church he was serving, Park Street Congregational Church of Boston, Mass. It was so well received, that
it quickly spread throughout our young country, and is still well-known today!