Hymn

God of Our Fathers

Metre 8.8.8.8.8.8.

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 boasting 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.

God of Our Fathers — Text from The Church Hymnal, 1920. Public domain. https://yeshuanow.com/hymns/god-of-our-fathers

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Questions about this hymn

Who wrote God of Our Fathers?

The words of God of Our Fathers were written by Rudyard Kipling; the version here was published in 1920.

Is God of Our Fathers public domain?

Yes. The words here are taken from The Church Hymnal, published in 1920. Works published before 1931 are out of copyright in the United States, so you can print, project, perform and record this hymn freely. How we source and check every hymn.

What is the metre of God of Our Fathers?

God of Our Fathers is in 8.8.8.8.8.8. Hymns in the same metre can usually be sung to the same tunes — for example, The Sabbath Day Consecrated, God of the Gentiles and O Love Divine, What Hast Thou Done.