Song Lyrics

My country tis of thee
Sweet land of liberty
Of thee I sing
Land where my fathers died
Land of the pilgrim's pride
From every mountain side
Let freedom ring

Suppose our civilisation were destroyed, and our cities lay completely in waste.
And suppose in 20,000 years an archaeologist from another society were poking around the ruins of your city.
If he could dig up just one penny, he would know this about us
The coin is made of a blend of metals, that would tell him who ruinous, and knew the science of metallurgy. By the shape of the coin, perfect circle, he'd know we understood geometry.
The date on the face of the coin would show him we understood arithmetic. That we had a calendar. The portrait of Abraham Lincoln would mark us as artists who had an advance culture, and the words United States would let him know that we were a federated group of local communities, all bound together by a strong central government.
The phrase E PLURIBUS UNUM will tell him that we were scholars, and that we knew foreign languages. The word liberty, right on the face of the penny would let the archaeologist know that our country sought to guarantee freedom for every man, everywhere.
And finally that phrase, in God We Trust. It would tell them we had moral law.
Would tell them we had grown strong and mighty under Gods great hand. And then considering the penny, he would wonder, why did they ever go astray.
Our fathers God to thee, author of liberty, to thee we sing.
Let mortal tongues awake.
Let all that breathe partake.
Let rocks their silence break.
Let freedom ring

Long may our land be bright,
With freedom's holy light,
Protect us by thy might,
Great God our King!

Let freedom ring
Our King!
Let freedom ring
Our King!
Let freedom ring

Trad, Derric Johnson

The duration of The Penny / My Country 'Tis of Thee is 3:10 minutes and seconds.