Lyrics:

1. God of our fathers, known of old,
Lord of our far-flung battle line,
Beneath whose awful hand we hold
Dominion over palm and pine:
Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet,
Lest we forget, lest we forget.

2. The tumult and the shouting dies;
The captains and the kings depart.
Still stands thine ancient sacrifice,
An humble and a contrite heart.
Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet,
Lest we forget, lest we forget.

3. Far-called, our navies melt away;
On dune and headland sinks the fire.
Lo, all our pomp of yesterday
Is one with Nineveh and Tyre!
Judge of the nations, spare us yet,
Lest we forget, lest we forget.

Text: Rudyard Kipling, 1865-1936
Music: Leroy J. Robertson, 1896-1971. (c) 1948 IRI

-History: (Source: Wikipedia)

Written By: Rudyard Kipling

Joseph Rudyard Kipling (30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)^[1] was an English poet, short-story writer, and novelist chiefly remembered for his celebration of British imperialism, tales and poems of British soldiers in India, and his tales for children. Kipling received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1907. He was born in Bombay, in the Bombay Presidency of British India, and was taken by his family to England when he was five years old.^[2] Kipling is best known for his works of fiction, including The Jungle Book (1894) (a collection of stories which includes “Rikki-Tikki-Tavi“), Kim (1901) (a tale of adventure), many short stories, including “The Man Who Would Be King” (1888); and his poems, including Mandalay (1890), Gunga Din (1890), The White Man’s Burden (1899) and If— (1910). He is regarded as a major “innovator in the art of the short story”;^[3] his children’s books are enduring classics of children’s literature; and his best works are said to exhibit “a versatile and luminous narrative gift”.^[4][5]

Kipling was one of the most popular writers in England, in both prose and verse, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.^[3] The authorHenry James said of him: “Kipling strikes me personally as the most complete man of genius (as distinct from fine intelligence) that I have ever known.”^[3] In 1907, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, making him the first English language writer to receive the prize, and to date he remains its youngest recipient.^[6] Among other honours, he was sounded out for the British Poet Laureateship and on several occasions for a knighthood, all of which he declined.^[7]

Kipling’s subsequent reputation has changed according to the political and social climate of the age^[8][9] and the resulting contrasting views about him continued for much of the 20th century.^[10][11] A young George Orwell called him a “prophet of British imperialism“.^[12] According to critic Douglas Kerr: “He is still an author who can inspire passionate disagreement and his place in literary and cultural history is far from settled. But as the age of the European empires recedes, he is recognised as an incomparable, if controversial, interpreter of how empire was experienced. That, and an increasing recognition of his extraordinary narrative gifts, make him a force to be reckoned with.”^[13]

Music By: Leroy J. Robertson

Leroy Robertson (December 21, 1896 – July 25, 1971) was an American composer and music educator.

Robertson was born in Fountain Green, Utah. One of his earliest instructors was Anthony C. Lund.^[1] He studied violin, composition, and public school music at the New England Conservatory and in Europe. He received an MA degree from the University of Utah and a Ph.D from the University of Southern California. He was chairman of the music department atBrigham Young University from 1925 to 1948 and at the University of Utah from 1948 to 1962.

Robertson was instrumental in the promotion of the Utah Symphony and of classical music in Salt Lake City.

He is best known for his Oratorio from the Book of Mormon. The setting of the Lord’s Prayer from that oratorio was recorded by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and released as a 45 single on the flip side of the Battle Hymn of the Republic, which hit the top 50 charts.

Amongst Robertson’s works in the 1948 LDS hymnal was the music for “Up! Arose Thee, O Beautiful Zion”, with words by Emily H. Woodmansee.^[2]

In the 1985 edition of the LDS hymnal there is one hymn with words by Robertson and eight hymns for which he wrote the music. “On This Day of Joy and Gladness” (hymn #64) has both words and music by Robertson, while “Let Earth’s Inhabitants Rejoice” (hymn #53), “”Great King of Heaven” (hymn #63), “God of Our Fathers, Know of Old” (hymn #80), “I’m A Pilgrim, I’m A Stranger” (hymn #121), “Upon The Cross Of Calvary” (hymn #184), “We Love Thy House, Oh God” (hymn #247) and “Go Ye Messengers of Glory” (hymn #262) have music by Robertson.