You know the song. You’ve probably mumbled it in a school gymnasium or heard it at a 4th of July parade. "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty..." It feels like the musical equivalent of a warm blanket—predictable, patriotic, and a little bit dusty.
But honestly? The story behind the my country tis of thee lyrics is a lot weirder and more rebellious than your third-grade music teacher probably let on. It wasn't just a "backup" to the National Anthem. It was a piece of musical identity theft that turned a British royal hymn into an American revolutionary statement.
And then? It became the soundtrack for the most intense civil rights battles in our history.
Where did the lyrics actually come from?
Back in 1831, a 24-year-old student named Samuel Francis Smith was hanging out at the Andover Theological Seminary in Massachusetts. He wasn't trying to write a hit. He was basically doing homework. His friend, the famed composer Lowell Mason, handed him some German songbooks and asked him to either translate the songs or write new English lyrics for the tunes.
Smith was flipping through when he hit a melody that really moved him. He thought it was German.
He didn't realize he was looking at the tune for "God Save the King," the anthem of the very British Empire America had just kicked out.
Smith sat down and, in about 30 minutes, scribbled out the verses on a scrap of paper. He called it "America." He didn't think much of it at the time, but the song took off like wildfire. It was first performed in public on July 4, 1831, at the Park Street Church in Boston by a children's choir.
Think about the irony there.
Americans were celebrating their independence from the British crown by singing new words to the King’s own song. It was a massive, melodic "thank you, next."
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The "America" Lyrics You Know (and the Verse You Probably Don't)
Most people only know the first verse. If you're lucky, you know the fourth. But the full poem by Smith actually goes deeper into the "templed hills" and "rapture" of the landscape.
Here is the standard version of the my country tis of thee lyrics as they’ve been sung for nearly 200 years:
Verse 1
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 mountain side
Let freedom ring!
Verse 2
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.
Verse 3
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.
Verse 4
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.
Did you catch that last line? "Great God our King." Smith was a Baptist minister, so he was essentially saying: We don't have a human king anymore; we only answer to the Divine. It was a subtle but sharp jab at the monarchy the tune originally honored.
When the song became a "Protest Track"
One of the coolest things about this song is how it has been hijacked for good causes.
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By the 1840s, abolitionists realized that singing "sweet land of liberty" while millions of people were enslaved was a bit... hypocritical. So, they did what Samuel Smith did—they kept the tune and changed the words.
A.G. Duncan wrote a scathing abolitionist version in 1843. It started like this:
"My country! 'tis of thee,
Stronghold of slavery,
Of thee I sing:
Land where my fathers died,
Where men man's rights deride..."
It turned the song into a mirror, forcing the country to look at its own failings. This tradition of using the my country tis of thee lyrics to demand change continued for a century.
Fast forward to 1939. The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) refused to let the Black opera singer Marian Anderson perform at Constitution Hall because of her race.
She didn't back down.
Instead, with the help of Eleanor Roosevelt, she stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on Easter Sunday and sang to a crowd of 75,000 people. The very first song she sang? "My Country, 'Tis of Thee."
When she sang "of thee I sing," she wasn't just performing a hymn. She was claiming ownership of a country that was trying to shut her out. It was electric.
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Why we stopped singing it (sorta)
For about a hundred years, this was the de facto national anthem of the United States.
It was short. It was easy to sing. It didn't require the vocal range of a professional opera singer (looking at you, Star-Spangled Banner).
But in 1931, Congress officially tapped "The Star-Spangled Banner" as the winner. Why? Partly because it was more "militaristic" and unique to the U.S. There was also a lingering awkwardness about sharing a melody with the British. It's hard to feel like a completely unique superpower when your national song sounds exactly like the guy's you just beat.
Still, the song never really left.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. famously quoted the lyrics at the end of his "I Have a Dream" speech in 1963. When he shouted, "Let freedom ring!" he was directly referencing Smith’s 1831 poem. He was calling on America to finally make those lyrics true for everyone.
Actionable Takeaways for Your Next Singalong
If you’re planning to use this song for a school event, a performance, or just want to impress people at a trivia night, keep these nuances in mind:
- Check the Tempo: Most modern versions are sung as a slow, solemn hymn. But the original "God Save the King" was often played with a bit more of a march-like bounce.
- The Fifth Verse: Smith actually wrote a "Centennial" verse in 1889 for the 100th anniversary of Washington’s inauguration. It’s almost never in hymnals, but it’s a great deep cut for history buffs.
- Respect the "Rills": In the second verse, Smith mentions "rocks and rills." A rill is just a small stream or brook. Now you know.
- Key of F: Most arrangements are in the key of F Major. It’s the sweet spot for the average person's vocal range, unlike the high notes in the National Anthem that make everyone's voice crack.
The my country tis of thee lyrics aren't just a relic of the past. They’re a living document. From a seminary student’s 30-minute brainstorm to the Lincoln Memorial, this song has always been about what we want America to be, even when it hasn't quite reached that goal yet.
Next time you hear that familiar tune, remember it’s not just a song about "sweet land." It’s a song about the struggle to make it that way.
To get the most out of this history, try listening to Marian Anderson's 1939 recording alongside Aretha Franklin’s 2009 inaugural performance to hear how the meaning of these words evolved over seventy years of American history.