“God save our gracious Queen, long live our noble Queen, God save our Queen”. These are the familiar first lines of the British national anthem. But although this is the anthem that’s usually played to represent the UK, for example at sporting events, God save the Queen (or King) has never been the UK’s official national anthem, or its only one.
anonymous
No one is quite sure who wrote the anthem’s music or lyrics. But we do know when it was first sung as a patriotic song. In September 1745, at the end of a performance at Drury Lane Theatre in London, three of the actors stayed on the stage and sang a song that began: “God bless our noble King, God save great George our King ...” It was a gesture of support for British King George II, who was being threatened by Charles Edward Stuart of Scotland. The audience loved it. And soon God Save the King was being sung in other theatres and public places.
versions
Since 1745, there have been various versions of this non-official national anthem. For example, some new lines were written for Queen Victoria. And in 1919, after the catastrophe of World War One, a less militaristic version was written that ended with the lines: “Spread universal peace. God save us all!” In the United States, the patriotic song My country, ‘tis of thee… uses the same tune and was one of the main US anthems before The Star Spangled Banner was adopted in 1931.
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 politics,
Frustrate their knavish tricks,
On Thee 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!