America the Beautiful
by Katharine Lee Bates

1 O beautiful for spacious skies,
2 For amber waves of grain,
3 For purple mountain majesties
4 Above the fruited plain!
5 America! America!
6 God shed His grace on thee
7 And crown thy good with brotherhood
8 From sea to shining sea!

9 O beautiful for pilgrim feet,
10 Whose stern, impassioned stress
11 A thoroughfare for freedom beat
12 Across the wilderness!
13 America! America!
14 God mend thine every flaw,
15 Confirm thy soul in self-control,
16 Thy liberty in law!

17 O beautiful for heroes proved
18 In liberating strife,
19 Who more than self their country loved,
20 And mercy more than life!
21 America! America!
22 May God thy gold refine,
23 Till all success be nobleness,
24 And every gain divine!

25 O beautiful for patriot dream
26 That sees beyond the years
27 Thine alabaster cities gleam
28 Undimmed by human tears!
29 America! America!
30 God shed His grace on thee
31 And crown thy good with brotherhood
32 From sea to shining sea!

"When Captain America throws his mighty shield,

All those who chose to oppose his shield must yield.

If he's lead to a fight and a duel is due,

Then the red and white and the blue'll come through.

When Captain America throws his mighty shield. "

Stan Lee(?)

Not a popular topic among poets, I know.

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Les




Edited 7 time(s). Last edit at 08/30/2006 03:24PM by lg.

Did ya know that this song was originally inspired by Pike's Peak. It's purpleish from the top.

Kristin, you're right about Bates' inspiration, but in my mind the most spectacular "purple" mountains are the "blue ridge range" through North Carolina and Virgina:
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Les



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 07/06/2022 07:21PM by lg.