1847 (est.)
The People's Anthem
| Tune: | The People's Anthem |
| Lyrics: | Ebenezer Elliott |
| Composer: | William Thorold Wood |
When wilt Thou save the people?
O God of mercy! when?
Not kings and lords, but nations!
Not thrones and crowns, but men!
Flowers of Thy heart, O God, are they!
Let them not pass, like weeds, away!
Their heritage a sunless day!
God save the people!
Shall crime bring crime for ever,
Strength aiding still the strong?
Is it Thy will, O Father!
That man shall toil for wrong?
“No!” say Thy mountains; “No!” Thy skies;
“Man's clouded sun shall brightly rise,
And songs be heard instead of sighs.”
God save the people!
When whilt thou save the people?
O God of mercy! when?
The people, Lord! the people!
Not thrones and crowns, but men!
God save the people! Thine they are;
Thy children, as Thy angels fair;
Save them from bondage and despair!
God save the people!
Dubbed the ‘Corn Law Rhymer’ and ‘Poet of the People’, Ebenezer Elliott penned this hymn in his late sixties, shortly before his death. Its rhetorical questions and pleas for divine aid may read as defeatist, but speak of the profound religious faith shared by so many activists. Written for communal, even devotional performance, it contrasts ‘the people’ with ‘thrones and crowns’, deeming the latter undeserving of divine protection.
| Cause: | Chartist | Collectivist |
| Theme: | Political Process | Rights | Impact of Change |
| Addressed to: | God |
| Target of Protest: | Aristocracy | The Ruler |
| Proposal/Solution: | Divine Intercession |