God of our fathers, known of old, Lord of our far-flung battle-line, Beneath whose awful Hand we hold Dominion over palm and pine- Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet, Lest we forget-lest we forget! The tumult and the shouting dies; The Captains and the Kings depart: Still stands Thine ancient sacrifice, An humble and a contrite heart. Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet, Lest we forget-lest we forget! Far-called, our navies melt away; On dune and headland sinks the fire: Lo, all our pomp of yesterday Is one with Nineveh and Tyre! Judge of the Nations, spare us yet, Lest we forget-lest we forget! If, drunk with sight of power, we loose Wild tongues that have not Thee in awe, Such boastings as the Gentiles use, Or lesser breeds without the Law- Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet, Lest we forget-lest we forget! For heathen heart that puts her trust In reeking tube and iron shard, All valiant dust that builds on dust, And guarding, calls not Thee to guard, For frantic boast and foolish word- Thy mercy on Thy People, Lord!
Upon reading these lyrics I am asked to reply. But there are no words, or combination that can adequately answer such verses. My heart has been quieted as if by a weight.
And he wrote in the year of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. When everyone expected him to write some tub thumping imperialist stuff, he instead wrote a hymn about the transience of Empire.
Not really. Kipling, while an imperialist, clearly saw through the triumphalism of the time. This poem serves as a warning to the British people not to forget their faith in God and become complacent and degenerate, like all the Empires that came before. Of course, that is exactly what happened.
@@georgepapavgeris8832 Are you sure? Webber would hold copyright to the recording, but I would think the melody itself is copyright to Peter Bellamy, who wrote it. Or rather, to the late Bellamy's estate.
The world is the poorer for it's passing. All countries that have any claim to be democratic and just, are Anglo-Saxon based. Or have the British to thank their survival. I just wish people would realise that, the next time they knock a statue down.
@@dp-sr1fd who and where are these counties are? Most development only occurred post-colonialism. The only concrete legacy was the English language and your sports. It's more like the opposite. Without the colonies you wouldn't of been that "great" to start. You owe us not the other way round.
@@kromkindkaroo Development, like Zimbabwe under Robert Mugabe's kind and fatherly hand. South Africa that is totally corrupt and the people are not much better off than before. Of course there is good and bad but I think the good outweighs the bad. One thing I will say, and that is the British Empire went on too long. India and Ireland should have been given their own rule at least 50 years before they were.
@@dp-sr1fd first of all the "development" you talk about in Zimbabwe and South Africa was not meant for the indigenous people (who still lived landless and in squalor) and its evident in the inequal spatial planning. Zimbabwe was a shit hole before Mugabe and after Mugabe. Just the people instead of being exploited and treated like shit by Uncle Ian's UDI, ZANU PF are doing the exact same thing. Also choosing colonial and settler state Rhodesia (I'll use the colonial name) and South Africa as a "beacon of progress" is utterly stupid and shows your own racist jingoistic nostalgia for something that never was. Both countries were single party regimes that oppressed most of their populations and the inequality instituted the violence and the animosity we have today. South Africa is by far less corrupt than many countries in the Americas and people confuse mismanagement with corruption. Besides corruption isnt a rarity in the West just that it is a lot better hidden and labelled as "standard capitalist practice". I'm not justifying these issues but it doest support your claim about this bullshit colonial narrative of "salvation and civilization". Because the development you talk about only had two purposes: to support settlers and get resources (via railroads, custom houses, harbours and mines) to Europe in this case Great Britain.
God of our fathers, known of old,
Lord of our far-flung battle-line,
Beneath whose awful Hand we hold
Dominion over palm and pine-
Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet,
Lest we forget-lest we forget!
The tumult and the shouting dies;
The Captains and the Kings depart:
Still stands Thine ancient sacrifice,
An humble and a contrite heart.
Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet,
Lest we forget-lest we forget!
Far-called, our navies melt away;
On dune and headland sinks the fire:
Lo, all our pomp of yesterday
Is one with Nineveh and Tyre!
Judge of the Nations, spare us yet,
Lest we forget-lest we forget!
If, drunk with sight of power, we loose
Wild tongues that have not Thee in awe,
Such boastings as the Gentiles use,
Or lesser breeds without the Law-
Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet,
Lest we forget-lest we forget!
For heathen heart that puts her trust
In reeking tube and iron shard,
All valiant dust that builds on dust,
And guarding, calls not Thee to guard,
For frantic boast and foolish word-
Thy mercy on Thy People, Lord!
Upon reading these lyrics I am asked to reply. But there are no words, or combination that can adequately answer such verses.
My heart has been quieted as if by a weight.
@@gladyslustgirdle3004 Amen
it sounds amazing you can tell that Kipling was a good writer
Very poignant, especially today knowing what has occurred since Kipling wrote those words.
Amen.
Amen brother.
All empires must one day crumble to dust, only the Lord is eternal. Amen.
ita est
There is no god
everything fades, but that one sacrifice to God stands for ages
*a humble and a contrite heart*
I love that I hear the words and the rhythm of the song underlines the meaning.
Surprising that he wrote it at all, in a time when it was well said that the sun never sets on the British Empire.
And he wrote in the year of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. When everyone expected him to write some tub thumping imperialist stuff, he instead wrote a hymn about the transience of Empire.
Not really. Kipling, while an imperialist, clearly saw through the triumphalism of the time. This poem serves as a warning to the British people not to forget their faith in God and become complacent and degenerate, like all the Empires that came before. Of course, that is exactly what happened.
This rendition makes something old and poignant, new again.
Well Done
Does anyone know the tune?
Believe it was written by the late Peter Bellamy. He did adapt some Kipling poems to existing tunes, but also wrote his own.
Someone has to be the hegemon.
You can't moralize history. Leads to unhappiness.
@@HenryVandenburgh I love how you waited 3 years to add to your post
@@blob22201 I'm a Taurus. We're slow.
Hah
Good Christ, Lads, just look at 'em. Who's for Our Queen, St.George, and good old, bloody old EMPIRE?! Hazah.....
Ironic cause the song is about how that is utterly meaningless in sight of the Lord and or the cornerstone Christian values of the Empire.
@Arigato Cat But this piece in particular? It's saying that it's all valiant dust that builds on dust.
oh america, oh america, why do you suffer your people, who are such fools, and what have we done to deserve you? A latter day Kipling, Allen Drury
hi is this no copy? I need this for a show
plz
it is for my boy jack show
@@georgepapavgeris8832 Are you sure? Webber would hold copyright to the recording, but I would think the melody itself is copyright to Peter Bellamy, who wrote it. Or rather, to the late Bellamy's estate.
@@danlhiggins6822 you are right of course, sorry for the confusion
Only 373 views in almost ten years ... oh well, I'd better get back to watching cat videos
Can you count read?
@@patttrick I'm blind. Thanks for the correction.
" Great " British Empire ! ..Twas so !
The world is the poorer for it's passing. All countries that have any claim to be democratic and just, are Anglo-Saxon based. Or have the British to thank their survival. I just wish people would realise that, the next time they knock a statue down.
@@dp-sr1fd Including Ireland? Or Scotland? Exploited, robbed, tyrannised over, just as were North America, Africa and India. Bas go Sasana toraidhe!
@@dp-sr1fd who and where are these counties are? Most development only occurred post-colonialism. The only concrete legacy was the English language and your sports.
It's more like the opposite. Without the colonies you wouldn't of been that "great" to start. You owe us not the other way round.
@@kromkindkaroo Development, like Zimbabwe under Robert Mugabe's kind and fatherly hand. South Africa that is totally corrupt and the people are not much better off than before. Of course there is good and bad but I think the good outweighs the bad. One thing I will say, and that is the British Empire went on too long. India and Ireland should have been given their own rule at least 50 years before they were.
@@dp-sr1fd first of all the "development" you talk about in Zimbabwe and South Africa was not meant for the indigenous people (who still lived landless and in squalor) and its evident in the inequal spatial planning. Zimbabwe was a shit hole before Mugabe and after Mugabe. Just the people instead of being exploited and treated like shit by Uncle Ian's UDI, ZANU PF are doing the exact same thing. Also choosing colonial and settler state Rhodesia (I'll use the colonial name) and South Africa as a "beacon of progress" is utterly stupid and shows your own racist jingoistic nostalgia for something that never was. Both countries were single party regimes that oppressed most of their populations and the inequality instituted the violence and the animosity we have today. South Africa is by far less corrupt than many countries in the Americas and people confuse mismanagement with corruption. Besides corruption isnt a rarity in the West just that it is a lot better hidden and labelled as "standard capitalist practice". I'm not justifying these issues but it doest support your claim about this bullshit colonial narrative of "salvation and civilization". Because the development you talk about only had two purposes: to support settlers and get resources (via railroads, custom houses, harbours and mines) to Europe in this case Great Britain.