AmericaThe Beautiful
Robert Shaw Chorale Lyrics

O beautiful for spacious skies,
How beautiful are the wide-open, expansive skies that can be seen in America,

For amber waves of grain,
The way the wind blows through the amber coloured grains in America is really quite lovely,

For purple mountain majesties,
The majestic purple-hued mountains in America are truly breathtaking,

Above the fruited plain!
It is so beautiful to see those mountains rising high above the fertile, abundantly-fruited plain underneath them,

America! America!
Oh America, oh America,

God shed his grace on thee
May God bless America with his grace,

And crown thy good with brotherhood
May good American values be honored and upheld through the spirit of brotherhood and sisterhood,

From sea to shining sea!
From the East Coast to the West Coast, America is a land of beauty,

O beautiful for pilgrim feet
How lovely are the feet of the pilgrims who travelled to America,

Whose stern impassioned stress
They were determined and passionate people,

A thoroughfare of freedom beat
They cleared the way for freedom through the hardships they endured,

Across the wilderness!
Through the wild and untamed wilderness they travelled,

America! America!
Oh America, oh America,

God mend thine every flaw,
May God help America overcome its flaws,

Confirm thy soul in self-control,
May America's soul be strengthened through self-control,

Thy liberty in law!
May America's freedom be upheld through the law,

O beautiful for heroes proved
How fantastic are the heroes who have shown their worth in America,

In liberating strife.
Through wars and battles fought for freedom,

Who more than self their country loved
Those who loved their country more than they loved themselves,

And mercy more than life!
Even more than their own lives, they valued mercy and freedom,

America! America!
Oh America, oh America,

May God thy gold refine
May God refine and purify what America values and holds dear,

Till all success be nobleness
So that success is seen as noble and upright,

And every gain divine!
And all gains are seen as divine and just,

O beautiful for patriot dream
How lovely is the dream of patriotism that many Americans hold dear,

That sees beyond the years
A dream that goes beyond just the present time and looks to the future,

Thine alabaster cities gleam
The gleaming white cities in America are so beautiful,

Undimmed by human tears!
The cities and lands remain unbroken by tragic and heart-wrenching events,

America! America!
Oh America, oh America,

Till souls wax fair as earth and air
May every soul in America be pure and fair, much like the earth and the air around us,

And music-hearted sea!
And may the sound of the sea be music to everyone's ears,

O beautiful for pilgrim's feet,
How precious and valuable are the feet that carried pilgrims to America,

Whose stem impassioned stress
These same feet were determined and arduous,

A thoroughfare for freedom beat
They created the way forward for freedom,

Across the wilderness!
They crossed landscapes of wilderness to settle in America,

America! America!
Oh America, oh America,

God shed his grace on thee
May God bless America with his grace,

Till paths be wrought through wilds of thought
May people be able to navigate their thoughts like paths through the wilds,

By pilgrim foot and knee!
And may their journeys be as purposeful as when the pilgrims journeyed across the Atlantic,

O beautiful for glory-tale
How beautiful it is to tell stories of glorified heroism in America,

Of liberating strife
Of the constant struggle to maintain and cherish freedom,

When once and twice, for man's avail
When brave souls sacrificed themselves at least once, if not several times, to better their fellow men and women,

Men lavished precious life!
They carried out their duty with great passion and commitment, even to the point of giving their lives,

America! America!
Oh America, oh America,

God shed his grace on thee
May God continue to shower America with his grace,

Till selfish gain no longer stain
May America become a place where personal gain and greed has no place,

The banner of the free!
And may America always champion the freedom of its citizens,

O beautiful for patriot dream
How beautiful is the dream of patriotism that Americans hold dear,

That sees beyond the years
A dream that looks beyond the present and into the future,

Thine alabaster cities gleam
America's beautiful, gleaming white cities are so desirable,

Undimmed by human tears!
May human suffering never blot the beauty of American cities,

America! America!
Oh America, oh America,

God shed his grace on thee
May God continue to bestow His grace on America,

Till nobler men keep once again
May America see more noble people arise,

Thy whiter jubilee!
And may America experience a joyful, perfect celebration of that freedom once again,