It’s a weird feeling, isn't it? For seventy years, the lyrics were basically hardcoded into the collective DNA of the Commonwealth. You didn't even have to think about it. Then, suddenly, in September 2022, everything flipped. We went from "Queen" to "King" in a heartbeat. Honestly, if you still accidentally trip over the syllables and find yourself humming the old version, you aren’t alone. It’s a legacy thing.
But the words to God Save the Queen—now officially "God Save the King" for the reign of Charles III—are more than just a patriotic jukebox hit. They are a historical mess. A fascinating, slightly confusing, and occasionally controversial mess.
If you look at the history, there’s no "official" version locked in a vault somewhere. There’s no Act of Parliament that says, "These are the exact words, and if you get them wrong, it's treason." It’s all based on custom and tradition. That’s probably why people get so confused about the second and third verses. Most of us only know the first one, which is probably for the best because some of the older lyrics are, well, pretty intense.
Where Did the Lyrics Actually Come From?
Nobody actually knows who wrote the words to God Save the Queen. Seriously. If you’re looking for a single composer like Francis Scott Key for the U.S. national anthem, you won't find one. It’s sort of a "folk song" that got promoted.
By the mid-1740s, it started popping up in London theaters. The first recorded performance of the version we’d recognize happened at the Drury Lane Theatre in 1745. This wasn't a moment of peaceful national pride, though. It was a moment of sheer panic. The "Young Pretender," Charles Edward Stuart, was marching south during the Jacobite rising. Londoners were terrified. They sang the song as a plea for stability.
The lyrics were basically a prayer. "God save the King" (referring to George II at the time) was a literal request for him to not get overthrown.
The Standard Verse Everyone Knows
The version we hear at football matches or royal weddings is usually just the first verse. It’s short. It’s punchy.
God save our gracious Queen (or King),
Long live our noble Queen,
God save the Queen!
Send her victorious,
Happy and glorious,
Long to reign over us,
God save the Queen!🔗 Read more: Dating for 5 Years: Why the Five-Year Itch is Real (and How to Fix It)
It’s simple enough for a crowd of 80,000 people to sing after a few pints. But did you know there are technically more? Most people stop there. If you keep going, things get a bit more "eighteenth-century."
The Controversial "Rebellious Scots" Verse
Here is where the words to God Save the Queen get tricky. There is a "missing" verse that caused a lot of friction over the years, specifically in Scotland. Because the song gained popularity during the Jacobite rebellion, one of the verses used to include the line:
"Lord, grant that Marshal Wade, May by thy mighty aid, Victory bring. May he sedition hush, and like a torrent rush, Rebellious Scots to crush, God save the King."
Yeah. Not exactly the kind of thing you want to sing at a friendly rugby match in Edinburgh.
The good news? That verse hasn't been part of the "standard" version for a couple of hundred years. It was a product of a specific war. However, the memory of it lingers. It’s a huge reason why you’ll often hear Scottish crowds boo the anthem or sing "Flower of Scotland" instead. It’s not just about modern politics; it’s about lyrics that literally called for their ancestors to be "crushed."
Why the Gender Swap Isn't Just One Word
When the transition happened from Queen Elizabeth II to King Charles III, it wasn't just a matter of swapping "Queen" for "King." Every pronoun in the song has to shift.
You go from "her" to "him."
From "noble Queen" to "noble King."
From "Send her victorious" to "Send him victorious."
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It sounds small. But if you’ve been singing the same thing since 1952, your brain has a "muscle memory" for the feminine pronouns. Most choirs had to do some serious retraining in late 2022 to make sure they didn't slip up during the first few state events.
The Second Verse: The One We Mostly Forget
If you ever find yourself at a very formal state banquet, they might break out the second verse. It’s a bit more "fire and brimstone" than the first.
O Lord our God arise,
Scatter her enemies,
And make them fall:
Confound their politics,
Frustrate their knavish tricks,
On Thee our hopes we fix:
God save us all.
"Knavish tricks" is a fantastic phrase. We should honestly use it more in modern conversation. But you can see why this verse is often skipped. It’s very aggressive. It’s very much about crushing political opponents and "confounding" anyone who isn't on the side of the Crown. In a modern, diplomatic world, singing about your enemies' "knavish tricks" feels a bit... dated.
Common Misconceptions About the Anthem
People think the anthem is the "British National Anthem." It is. But it’s also the Royal Anthem for most Commonwealth realms, like Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
In Canada, for example, "O Canada" is the national anthem, but the words to God Save the Queen (now King) are sung when a member of the Royal Family is present. It’s a dual-identity thing.
Another weird fact: there is no "official" tempo. You’ll hear it played as a slow, somber dirge at funerals, or as a fast, brassy march at military parades. The lyrics stay the same, but the vibe changes completely depending on how many beats per minute the conductor chooses.
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Is it "God Save the Queen" or "God Save the King"?
Historically, it’s whatever the current monarch is.
- 1745–1837: God Save the King (George II, III, IV, and William IV)
- 1837–1901: God Save the Queen (Victoria)
- 1901–1952: God Save the King (Edward VII, George V, Edward VIII, George VI)
- 1952–2022: God Save the Queen (Elizabeth II)
- 2022–Present: God Save the King (Charles III)
The lyrics are essentially a template. You just plug in the correct title and pronoun.
The Modern Relevance of the Lyrics
Does anyone actually care about the words to God Save the Queen anymore? Honestly, it depends on who you ask. For some, it’s a beautiful link to the past. For others, it’s a relic of an empire that doesn’t exist anymore.
When you hear it at the Olympics, it represents the UK. But when you hear it at an England football match, it’s a bit different. Scotland has "Flower of Scotland." Wales has "Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau" (Land of My Fathers). England is the only part of the UK that uses the "British" anthem as its specific "English" anthem. There’s been a lot of talk lately about England getting its own song—maybe "Jerusalem" or "Land of Hope and Glory"—so the UK anthem can just be for UK-wide events.
How to Properly Sing the Current Version
If you find yourself in a situation where you need to sing the anthem—maybe a graduation, a sporting event, or a memorial—here is the "pro tip" for getting the words to God Save the Queen (now King) right:
- Breath Control: The phrases are longer than you think. Don't gasp for air in the middle of "Happy and glorious."
- The Pronoun Trap: Focus on the "Him/His." Your brain will want to say "Her." Don't let it.
- The "S" at the End: At the end of the first verse, some people sing "God save the King!" and some sing "God save the Kings!" (plural). It’s singular. Just the one guy.
- Enunciation: "Victorious" has four syllables. Use them. Vic-tor-i-ous.
It’s about dignity, not volume. Unless you’re at Wembley. Then it’s definitely about volume.
The Actionable Takeaway
If you want to be the person who actually knows what they’re talking about next time the anthem plays, do these three things:
- Learn the first verse with the updated pronouns. It’s "God save our gracious King" now. Practice it once so you don't mess up when the cameras are on (even if they're just your cousin's iPhone).
- Acknowledge the nuances. If you're in Scotland or Wales, understand why the song might be met with a bit of silence or even a whistle. It’s not necessarily "disrespect"; it’s a long, complicated history involving those "crushing" verses we talked about.
- Check the context. Remember that if you are in a Commonwealth country like Australia or Jamaica, the anthem is specifically for the Monarch, not necessarily a replacement for their own national anthem.
The words to God Save the Queen have survived for nearly 300 years because they are adaptable. They change as the person on the throne changes. They are a living piece of history that continues to evolve, whether we’re ready for the next pronoun swap or not.
Next Steps:
If you're interested in the musical side, look up the "Liechtenstein National Anthem." It uses the exact same melody as God Save the King. It's a trip to hear different lyrics set to that familiar tune. You can also research the "English National Anthem" debate to see which songs might eventually replace it for sporting events.