God Save The Queen
Neil Young & Crazy Horse Lyrics


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God save our gracious Queen
Long live our noble Queen
God save the Queen
Send her victorious
Happy and glorious
Long to reign over us
God save the Queen
Oh Lord, our God, arise
Scatter her enemies
And make them fall
Confound their politics
Frustrate their knavish tricks
On thee our hopes we fix
God save the Queen

Thy choicest gifts in store
On her be pleased to pour
Long may she reign
May she defend our laws
And ever give us cause
To sing with heart and voice
God save the Queen

From every latent foe
From the assassins blow
God save the Queen
O'er her thine arm extend
For Britain's sake defend




Our mother, prince, and friend
God save the Queen

Overall Meaning

The Song "God Save The Queen" by Neil Young and Crazy Horse is a cover of the British National Anthem with some additional lyrics. The song has been interpreted as a political commentary on the state of the UK and the US at the time it was released in 1985. The lyrics express a desire for divine intervention to protect and uphold the Queen and the values of Britain. The first verse is an appeal for God to bless and preserve the Queen, followed by a plea for God to destroy her enemies and frustrate their schemes. The final verse is a prayer of thanks for the Queen's rule, with a request for God's protection and defense.


The song has been interpreted in various ways, with some seeing it as a critique of the UK's imperial past or a commentary on US-British relations during the Thatcher era. Others have seen it as a more straightforward expression of loyalty to the Queen and Britain. Neil Young has not commented extensively on the song's meaning, but has acknowledged its controversial nature.


Line by Line Meaning

God save our gracious Queen
Dear Lord, we pray for the safety and protection of our noble Queen


Long live our noble Queen
May our Queen lead a long and prosperous life


God save the Queen
Oh God, please keep our Queen safe and secure


Send her victorious
May our Queen be triumphant in all her endeavors


Happy and glorious
May our Queen be joyous and prosperous in her reign


Long to reign over us
May our Queen continue to reign over us for a long time


Oh Lord, our God, arise
Oh God, please come to our aid


Scatter her enemies
May God disperse the enemies of our Queen


And make them fall
May God bring down those who oppose our Queen


Confound their politics
May God confuse the political agenda of our Queen's enemies


Frustrate their knavish tricks
May God thwart the deceitful schemes of those who plot against our Queen


On thee our hopes we fix
We place our faith and trust in you, Oh God


Thy choicest gifts in store
May God provide our Queen with the best gifts and blessings


On her be pleased to pour
May God generously bestow his gifts upon our Queen


Long may she reign
May our Queen continue to reign for a long time


May she defend our laws
May our Queen protect and uphold our laws


And ever give us cause
May our Queen always provide us with reasons to celebrate


To sing with heart and voice
May we chant and praise our Queen with all our hearts and voices


From every latent foe
May God shield our Queen from any hidden enemies


From the assassins blow
May God protect our Queen from any deadly attacks


O'er her thine arm extend
May God stretch out his protective arms over our Queen


For Britain's sake defend
May God safeguard our country by protecting our Queen


Our mother, prince, and friend
Our Queen is not only our leader but also our mother, prince, and friend




Lyrics © Silver Fiddle, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Neil Young

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

R H R 221b

'[This week] the National Anthem hit the headlines as a Tory minister called for "God Save the Queen" to be played every day on the BBC in the run up to the platinum jubilee.

'But did you know there is a line about Scots in the song - which has caused a "number of people" to raise concerns in the past?

'Here's what you need to know about the mention of Scots in the UK national anthem ...

Are Scots mentioned in the national anthem?

'Yes, Scots do feature in the national anthem, but you may not have heard the verse sung before.

'The line about Scots doesn't come into until verse [4], which is not frequently sung during events and in fact has not been played publicly for a number of years.

'The verse reads: "Lord grant that Marshal Wade, May by thy mighty aid, Victory bring. May he sedition hush, And like a torrent rush, Rebellious Scots to crush, God Save the King."

'It's a tribute to Marshal George Wade, the commander-in-chief of George II's Hanoverian forces; however its inclusion in the anthem has raised questions in the past.

'During Gordon Brown's premiership, the PM ordered a review of British citizenship conducted by former attorney Lord Goldsmith, who suggested that the verse calling for "rebellious Scots" to be crushed should be rewritten.

'Speaking in 2007, Lord Goldsmith said: "Quite a number of people have raised the issue of the national anthem in a number of ways.

"I think the national anthem is an important part of our national tradition."

He added: "But the review is about different ways of sharing our tradition and national identity ...

"What we have to look at is different ways of saying what it is that links the country together."

'However, in 2010 it was confirmed that no changes would be made to the anthem.

'The debate over the lyrics has been raging for decades, with Billy Connolly first raising the question in the 1980s during his appearance on "An Audience With ...", which attracted millions of viewers.

'The comedian said of the anthem: "It's an appalling song, and it's racist. The fourth verse is all about Marshal Wade coming up to give us a belt in the mouth."'

Stay free. Rab 🍻 😎 🎲 🌠



All comments from YouTube:

neilyoungchannel

Hi, this is Neil. Link to the NYA info-card for this song with press, documents, manuscripts, photos, videos. Look around NYA for fun and listening! ALL my music in high resolution at https://neilyoungarchives.com/info-card?track=t2011_1104_03

Rick Baartman

Thanks for doing this rendition, Neil. Good-bye to an amazing lady.

Clara Martin

TY, Neil--keep the music coming. All the Americana tracks I've heard so far are spectacular!

Wallaby Track

Just downright excellent. I loved "Americana" as much as I loved "After the Gold Rush" (all them years ago)

norman lesh

Absolutely. I agree.

Nothing but truth

All this album is great!

JAY BAGOZZI

Neil is ALWAYS pushing forward even when it appears he's goin' backwards

mbeckva

brilliant neil young, as usual. looking back, taking notes, looking forward, taking notes. he's a man of both countries as he shows us here. absolutely stunning melding of histories. i like his current trend of historical footage edited simply and effectively for the past two albums, Americana and Psychedelic Pill. you go, neil.

John Bruce

Dog I love this video! The video series for these recording is second to none.

David Copson

@John Bruce: which 'dog' are you referring to? The dog that saved the queen?

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