God Save The Queen
(The world's oldest National Anthem, written around
1740)
Click to stop and start the music
God save our gracious Queen,
Long live our noble Queen,
God save the Queen!
Send her victorious,
Happy and glorious,
Long to reign over us,
God save the Queen!
O Lord our God arise,
Scatter our enemies,
And make them fall!
Confound their knavish tricks*,
Confuse their politics,
On you our hopes we fix,
God save us all!
Not in this land alone,
But be God's mercies known,
From shore to shore!
Lord make the nations see,
That men should brothers be,
And form one family,
The wide world o'er.
From every latent foe,
From the assassins blow,
God save the Queen!
O'er her thine arm extend,
For Britain's sake defend,
Our mother, prince, and friend,
God save the Queen!
Thy choicest gifts in store,
On her be pleased to pour,
Long may she reign!
May she defend our laws,
And ever give us cause,
To sing with heart and voice,
God save the Queen!
*Verse 2 is definitely un-PC, even with the substitution of "knavish"
for the original "popish" and is no longer sung; another
verse, written in 1746, along with verse 2, during the Jacobite Rebellion
is also no longer sung but is included here for completeness :
God grant that Marshall 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.