My Country 'tis of Thee . . .

This song was written in 1832 by the Reverend Samuel F. Smith. The good Reverend was reading through a collection of German music books and was particularly attracted to the tune of "God Save the King", although he was unable to understand the German words. He had realised that they were patriotic, and, in his own words, "in a brief period of time at the close of a dismal winter afternoon" he penned the verses as they now appear.