America the Beautiful Lyrics
For amber waves of grain
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!
O beautiful for pilgrim feet
Whose stern impassioned stress
A thoroughfare of freedom beat
Across the wilderness!
America! America!
God mend thine every flaw
Confirm thy soul in self-control
Thy liberty in law!
O beautiful for heroes proved
In liberating strife
Who more than self their country loved
And mercy more than life!
America! America!
May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness
And every gain divine!
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam
Undimmed by human tears!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!
O beautiful for halcyon skies
For amber waves of grain
For purple mountain majesties
Above the enameled plain!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
Till souls wax fair as earth and air
And music-hearted sea!
O beautiful for pilgrims feet
Whose stem impassioned stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat
Across the wilderness!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
Till paths be wrought through
Wilds of thought
By pilgrim foot and knee!
Of liberating strife
When once and twice
For man's avail
Men lavished precious life!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
Till selfish gain no longer stain
The banner of the free!
O beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam
Undimmed by human tears!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
Till nobler men keep once again
Thy whiter jubilee!
About
Written by Katharine Lee Bates as a poem in 1893 and first published in 1895, it was combined with music composed by church organist Samuel A. Ward in 1910. Bates wrote the poem after a journey to the top of Pikes Peak in Colorado, saying the views there inspired her.
Beloved by many as a true representation of the nation’s principles, yet disparaged by many others as outdated and meaningless, the song still carries a lot of weighty meaning.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
The song was a contender for the U.S. national anthem, along with “My Country ‘Tis of Thee” and “The Star Spangle Banner”. In 1931, President Herbert Hoover signed a law that made the “Star Spangled Banner” our national anthem, and that upset many Americans. The effort to change our national anthem has continued on and off since then, with supporters of “America the Beautiful” contending that it more accurately reflects the principles of our country. (They also add that it’s a lot easier to sing!)
The song compares the beauty and grandeur of the country to the ideals and principles presented in our Declaration of Independence and Constitution. The descriptions of our national treasures (both natural and man-made) and the praise for those who came before us are used to ennoble the listener; to help them see the value of the social contract that binds us together as a nation.
