A Song of Peace

Yesterday at mass, a bell rang 15 times to honor the victims of the September 11 Attacks. Then our choir sang a heartfelt rendition of This is My Song, which is a beautiful song regardless of who’s singing. Written by American poet Lloyd Stone in 1934, the hymn is based on the Finlandia melody composed by Jean Sibelius. It’s also called A Song of Peace, which I prefer.

I found Joan Baez’s version here.

Here are the lyrics.

This is My Song

This is my song, O 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 holy 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 ev’rywhere as blue as mine.

O hear my song, thou God of all the nations,

A song of peace for their land and for mine.