The Cyber Hymnal ‎#4063

4063. Let Tyrants Shake Their Iron Rods

Let tyrants shake their iron rods,
And slavery clank her galling chains:
We see them not; we trust in God:
New England’s God forever reigns.

Text Information

• First Line: Let tyrants shake their iron rods
• Title: Let Tyrants Shake Their Iron Rods
• Author: William Billings, 1746-1800
• Meter: LM
• Language: English
• Copyright: Public Domain
• Notes: This hymn is of interest because of its historical background. Known as the Battle Hymn of the Revolution": [It] was almost as famous in its day as the "Battle Hymn of the Republic" at a later time. [It] was al­most as fa­mous in its day as the “Bat­tle Hymn of the Re­pub­lic” at a lat­er time. Ev­ery­where, in church and home, by the child­ren and the ag­ed, these words were sung with pas­sion­ate fer­vor. The sol­diers knew them by heart, and to the sound of fife and drum they sang them as they adv­anced to meet the foe. This Bat­tle Hymn con­trib­ut­ed not a lit­tle to the win­ning of the Re­vo­lu­tion­ary War. Smith, pp. 250-1

Tune Information

• Name: CHESTER (Billings)
• Composer: William Billings, 1746-1800
• Meter: LM
• Key: F Major
• Copyright: Public Domain