A song of peace for lands afar and mine

From James Primosch: Sent 08 January 2007 06:12:19
To overgrownpath@hotmail.co.uk: Subject - Finlandia:

Hello, in reference to your recent Finlandia post - the words Joan Baez (right) sings are actually by Lloyd Stone, and date from 1934. For more details follow this link. May I say that I enjoy your blog very much, with good wishes,

Dr. James Primosch, Robert Weiss Professor of Music, Department of Music, University of Pennsylvania - composer website

James, many thanks for clarifying that. Below are the words by Lloyd Stone that Joan Baez sings to the music of Sibelius. These are words that are terribly relevant today:

This is my song, Oh God of all the nations,
A song of peace for lands afar and mine.
This is my home, the country where my heart is;
Here are my hopes, my dreams, my sacred shrine.
But other hearts in other lands are beating,
With hopes and dreams as true and high as mine.
My country's skies are bluer than the ocean,
And sunlight beams on cloverleaf and pine.
But other lands have sunlight too and clover,
And skies are everywhere as blue as mine.
Oh hear my song, oh God of all the nations,
A song of peace for their land and for mine.

Now, to mark today's dreadful anniversary of the five years that have passed since the US authorities first transferred "war on terror" detainees to the detention camp in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, read about a land afar in Baghdad’s Spring.



Any copyrighted material on these pages is included for "fair use", for the purpose of study, review or critical analysis only, and will be removed at the request of copyright owner(s). Report broken links, missing images and other errors to - overgrownpath at hotmail dot co dot uk

Comments

Pliable said…
The only biographical information I can find on Lloyd Stone is - Lloyd Stone (b. 1912), hymn–writer.

Any more information welcome.
7:08 pm
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