Lift Every Voice

I first want to wish a safe trip to everyone traveling to the DC area of the inauguration.  For those not going, join OnyxLouisville and Red Carpet Events at Fox and Hound to watch the Inauguration speech (see Hot Spots for more information).

For some odd, random, reason I was sitting in church and decided to look the words up in the hymnal to Lift Every Voice And Sing.  It’s one of my favorite songs.  We always sing songs that we’ve memorized, but how often do we really take the time out to analyze what the words mean.  Once I read the words, I realized how important they are to the events occurring next week and in the future.

Obama’s presidency is not the end all, be all.  It’s not the beginning.  It’s a continuation.  We are one step further to accomplishing success in all areas.  I don’t know if it will be ‘politically correct’ but I hope at some point during the festivities our anthem is sung.  I’ve listed the words below and hope you will really think of it’s significance in your life (past, present and future).

Lift Every Voice and Sing
Til earth and heaven ring.
Ring with the harmonies of Liberty;
Let our rejoicing rise
High as the listening skies,
Let it resound loud as the rolling sea.
Sing a song full of the faith that the
Dark past has taught us,
Sing a song full of the hope that the
present has brought us;
Facing the rising sun of our new day begun,
Let us march on ’til victory is won.

Stony the road we trod,
Bitter the chast’ning rod,
Felt in the days when hope unborn had died;
Yet with a steady beat,
Have not our weary feet
Come to the place for which our fathers sighed?
We have come over a way that with tears
Has been watered,
We have come, treading our path through the
Blood of the slaughtered,
Out from the gloomy past,
‘Til now we stand at last
Where the white gleam of our bright star is cast.

God of our of weary years,
God of our silent tears,
Thou who has brought us thus far on the way;
Thou who has by The might
Led us into the light,
Keep us forever in the path
We Pray.
Lest of feet stray from the places,
Our God, where we met thee,
Lest, our hearts drunk with the wine
Of the world,
We forget Thee.
Shadowed beneath Thy hand,
May we forever stand,
True to our God,
True to our native land.

M.Y.  January 2009