King's Lynn (Ralph Vaughan Williams)

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Music files

• CPDL #15486:      NWC Sibelius4

Editor: John Henry Fowler (added 2007-11-21).   Score information: A4, 1 page, 28 kbytes       Copyright: Public Domain

Edition notes: Edition from CyberHymnal - File Sizes: PDF: 28 KB, 2nd PDF: 25 KB, MIDI: 3 KB, NWC: 2 KB, Sib4: 31 KB.

General Information

Title: King's Lynn
Composer: Ralph Vaughan Williams

Number of voices: 4vv  Voicing: SATB
Genre: Sacred, Hymns     Meter:   76. 76. D
Language: English
Instruments: piano/organ
Published: Tune: King’s Lynn, tra­di­tion­al Eng­lish mel­o­dy, ar­ranged by Ralph Vaugh­an Will­iams in The Eng­lish Hymn­al, Lon­don: O­xford Un­i­ver­si­ty Press, 1906; Lyrics: Gil­bert K. Ches­ter­ton, in the Commonwealth, 1906.

Description:

External websites:

Cyber Hymnal entry for hymn tune "King's Lynn":

http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/o/g/ogodofea.htm

Original text and translations

English text

1.

O God of earth and altar, bow down and hear our cry,

Our earthly rulers falter, our people drift and die;

The walls of gold entomb us, the swords of scorn divide;

Take not Thy thunder from us, but take away our pride.

2.

From all that terror teaches, from lies of tongue and pen,

From all the easy speeches that comfort cruel men;

From sale and profanation of honor and the sword;

From sleep and from damnation, deliver us, good Lord!

3.

Tie in a living tether, the prince and priest and thrall;

Bind all our lives together, smite us and save us all;

In ire and exultation aflame with faith and free,

Lift up a living nation, a single sword to Thee.

Lyrics: Gil­bert K. Ches­ter­ton, in the Commonwealth, 1906.