Jerusalem lyrics – Hubert Parry

“Jerusalem Lyrics” is a hymn and patriotic song that has been popularized in a variety of contexts, including religious services, sports events, and political rallies. The lyrics to “Jerusalem” were written by the English poet and mystic William Blake in 1804, and the music was composed by Sir Hubert Parry in 1916. The song has become an anthem of sorts for England, with its stirring melody and evocative lyrics capturing the country’s spirit and identity.

The first stanza of “Jerusalem” reads as follows:

And did those feet in ancient time Walk upon England’s mountains green? And was the holy Lamb of God On England’s pleasant pastures seen?

The poem begins with a series of rhetorical questions, asking whether Jesus Christ himself ever walked upon the hills and meadows of England. This imagery invokes the idea of England as a kind of holy land, a place where the divine has made its presence felt. The reference to the “Lamb of God” also suggests a religious significance to England’s landscape and people.

The second stanza of “Jerusalem” goes on to describe England in more detail:

And did the countenance divine Shine forth upon our clouded hills? And was Jerusalem builded here Among these dark satanic mills?

Here, Blake contrasts the idea of divine radiance with the dark, polluted reality of England’s industrial landscape. The image of “clouded hills” and “satanic mills” suggests that England has fallen far from its idealized state as a holy land, and that it is in need of redemption.

The final stanza of “Jerusalem” is perhaps the most famous:

Bring me my bow of burning gold! Bring me my arrows of desire! Bring me my spear! O clouds, unfold! Bring me my chariot of fire!

I will not cease from mental fight, Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand, Till we have built Jerusalem In England’s green and pleasant land.

This stanza is a call to action, urging England to rise up and reclaim its lost glory. The images of burning gold, arrows of desire, and chariots of fire evoke a sense of power and urgency. The final lines of the stanza express a determination to fight for a better future, one in which England will once again be a holy land, a “Jerusalem” in its own right.

Jerusalem lyrics

And did those feet in ancient time
Walk upon England’s mountain green?
And was the holy Lamb of God
On England’s pleasant pastures seen?
And did the countenance divine
Shine forth upon our clouded hills?
And was Jerusalem builded here
Among those dark satanic mills?

Bring me my bow of burning gold!
Bring me my arrows of desire!
Bring me my spear! O clouds, unfold!
Bring me my chariot of fire!
I will not cease from mental fight,
Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand,
Till we have built Jerusalem
In England’s green and pleasant land.

Jerusalem Lyrics Video

Jerusalem Music info

SONG: Jerusalem

ARTIST: Waynflete Singers, Winchester Cathedral Choir, Timothy Byram-Wigfield, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, David Hill

ALBUM: Jerusalem

Songwriters: Parry / Palmer / Lake / Blake Arr. Emerson