U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps Songs, Hymns, Poems, etc. |
Navy Hymn Anchors Away Marines Hymn
The 11 General Orders
Navy Hymn The "Navy Hymn" is Eternal
Father,
Strong to Save. The original words were written as a poem in 1860 by
William
Whiting of Winchester, England, for a student who was about to sail for
the
United States. The melody, published in 1861, was composed by fellow
Englishman,
Rev. John Bacchus Dykes, an Episcopalian clergyman.
The hymn, found in most hymnals, is
known
as the "Navy Hymn" because it is sung at the U.S. Naval Academy in
Annapolis,
Maryland. It is also sung on ships of the Royal Navy (U.K.) and has
been
translated into French.
Eternal Father was the favorite hymn
of
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and was sung at his funeral in Hyde
Park,
New York, in April 1945. It was also played by the Navy Band in 1963 as
President
John F. Kennedy's body was carried up the steps of the U.S. Capitol to
lie
in state. Roosevelt had served as Secretary of the Navy and Kennedy was
a
PT boat commander in World War II.
The original words are: Verse 1: Eternal Father, strong to save, Whose arm hath bound the restless wave, Who bidd'st the mighty ocean deep Its own appointed limits keep; Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee, For those in peril on the sea! Verse 2: O Christ! Whose voice the waters heard And hushed their raging at Thy word, Who walked'st on the foaming deep, And calm amidst its rage didst sleep; Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee, For those in peril on the sea! Verse 3: Most Holy Spirit! Who didst brood Upon the chaos dark and rude, And bid its angry tumult cease, And give, for wild confusion, peace; Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee, For those in peril on the sea! Verse 4: O Trinity of love and power! Our brethren shield in danger's hour; From rock and tempest, fire and foe, Protect them wheresoe'er they go; Thus evermore shall rise to Thee Glad hymns of praise from land and sea. |
Alternate Navy Hymn verses and their authors are: Lord, guard and guide the men who fly Through the great spaces in the sky. Be with them always in the air, In darkening storms or sunlight fair; Oh, hear us when we lift our prayer, For those in peril in the air! Mary C. D. Hamilton (1915) Oh, Watchful Father who dost keep Eternal vigil while we sleep Guide those who navigate on high Who through grave unknown perils fly, Receive our oft-repeated prayer For those in peril in the air. Emma Mayhew Whiting (1943) Eternal Father, grant, we pray, To all Marines, both night and day, The courage, honor, strength, and skill Their land to serve, thy law fulfill; Be thou the shield forevermore From every peril to the Corps. J. E. Seim (1966) Lord, stand beside the men who build, And give them courage, strength, and skill. O grant them peace of heart and mind, And comfort loved ones left behind. Lord, hear our prayers for all Seabees, Where'er they be on land or sea. R. J. Dietrich (1960) Lord God, our power evermore, Whose arm doth reach the ocean floor, Dive with our men beneath the sea; Traverse the depths protectively. O hear us when we pray, and keep Them safe from peril in the deep. David B. Miller (1965) O God, protect the women who, In service, faith in thee renew; O guide devoted hands of skill And bless their work within thy will; Inspire their lives that they may be Examples fair on land and sea. Lines 1-4, Merle E. Strickland (1972) and adapted by James D. Shannon (1973) Lines 5-6, Beatrice M. Truitt (1948) Creator, Father, who dost show Thy splendor in the ice and snow, Bless those who toil in summer light And through the cold antarctic night, As they thy frozen wonders learn; Bless those who wait for their return. L. E. Vogel (1965) Eternal Father, Lord of hosts, Watch o'er the men who guard our coasts. Protect them from the raging seas And give them light and life and peace. Grant them from thy great throne above The shield and shelter of thy love. Author unknown Eternal Father, King of birth, Who didst create the heaven and earth, And bid the planets and the sun Their own appointed orbits run; O hear us when we seek thy grace For those who soar through outer space. J. E. Volonte (1961) Creator, Father, who first breathed In us the life that we received, By power of thy breath restore The ill, and men with wounds of war. Bless those who give their healing care, That life and laughter all may share . Galen H. Meyer (1969) Adapted by James D. Shannon (1970) God, Who dost still the restless foam, Protect the ones we love at home. Provide that they should always be By thine own grace both safe and free. O Father, hear us when we pray For those we love so far away. Hugh Taylor (date Unk) Lord, guard and guide the men who fly And those who on the ocean ply; Be with our troops upon the land, And all who for their country stand: Be with these guardians day and night And may their trust be in thy might. Author Unknown (1955) O Father, King of earth and sea, We dedicate this ship to thee. In faith we send her on her way; In faith to thee we humbly pray: O hear from heaven our sailor's cry And watch and guard her from on high! Author/date Unknown And when at length her course is run, Her work for home and country done, Of all the souls that in her sailed Let not one life in thee have failed; But hear from heaven our sailor's cry, And grant eternal life on high! Author/date Unknown Click here to hear a musical version of "Eternal Father Strong to Save" performed by the U.S. Naval Academy Band Click here to hear a vocal version of "Eternal Father Strong to Save" performed by the U.S. Navy Sea Chanters William Whiting (1825-1878) was born
in
Kensington, England, and educated at Chapham and Winchester. Because of
his
musical ability, he became master of Winchester College Choristers'
School.
While best known for Eternal Father, Whiting also published two poetry
collections:
Rural Thoughts (1851) and Edgar Thorpe, or the Warfare of Life (1867).
He
died at Winchester.
John Bacchus Dykes (1823-1876) was born in Hull, England, and by age 10 was the assistant organist at St. John's Church, Hull, where his grandfather was vicar. He studied at Wakefield and St. Catherine's College, earning a B.A. in Classics in 1847. He cofounded the Cambridge University Musical Society. He was ordained as curate of Malton in 1847. For a short time, he was canon of Durham Cathedral, then precentor (1849-1862). In 1862 he became vicar of St. Oswald's, Durham. He published sermons and articles on religion but is best known for over 300 hymn tunes he composed. He died in Sussex at age 53. |
Anchors Aweigh Etymology The word "weigh" in this sense comes
from
the archaic word meaning to heave, hoist or raise. "Aweigh" means that
that
action has been completed. The anchor is aweigh when it is pulled from
the
bottom. This event is duly noted in the ship's log.
History Lieut. Charles A. Zimmermann, USN, a
graduate
of the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, had been selected as the
bandmaster
of the Naval Academy Band in 1887 at the age of 26. His father, Charles
Z.
Zimmermann, had played in the band during the Civil War years. Early in
his
career, Lieut. Zimmermann started the practice of composing a march for
each
graduating class. By 1892, "Zimmy", as he was affectionately known by
the
midshipmen, became so popular that he was presented with a gold medal
by
that year's class. More gold medals followed as Zimmermann wrote a
march
for each succeeding class
In 1906, Lieut. Zimmerman was approached by Midshipman First Class Alfred Hart Miles with a request for a new march. As a member of the Class of 1907, Miles and his classmates "were eager to have a piece of music that would be inspiring, one with a swing to it so it could be used as a football marching song, and one that would live forever." Supposedly, with the two men seated at the Naval Academy Chapel organ, Zimmermann composed the tune and Miles set the title and wrote to two first stanzas in November 1906. This march was played by the band and sung by the brigade at the 1906 Army-Navy football game later that month, and for the first time in several seasons, Navy won. This march, Anchors Aweigh, was subsequently dedicated to the Academy Class of 1907 and adopted as the official song of the U.S. Navy. The concluding stanza was written by Midshipman Royal Lovell, Class of 1926. Original Lyrics [Verse 1] Stand Navy down the field, sails set to the sky. We'll never change our course, so Army you steer shy-y-y-y. Roll up the score, Navy, Anchors Aweigh. Sail Navy down the field and sink the Army, sink the Army Grey. [Verse 2] Get underway, Navy, Decks cleared for the fray, We'll hoist true Navy Blue So Army down your Grey-y-y-y. Full speed ahead, Navy; Army heave to, Furl Black and Grey and Gold and hoist the Navy, hoist the Navy Blue [Verse 3] Blue of the Seven Seas; Gold of God's great sun Let these our colors be Till all of time be done-n-n-ne, By Severn shore we learn Navy's stern call: Faith, courage, service true With honor over, honor over all. Revised Lyrics by George D. Lottman It is Verse 2 that is most widely sung. [Verse 1] Stand, Navy, out to sea, Fight our battle cry; We'll never change our course, So vicious foe steer shy-y-y-y. Roll out the TNT, Anchors Aweigh. Sail on to victory And sink their bones to Davy Jones, hooray! [Verse 2] Anchors Aweigh, my boys, Anchors Aweigh. Farewell to college joys, we sail at break of day-ay-ay-ay. Through our last night on shore, drink to the foam, Until we meet once more. Here's wishing you a happy voyage home. Epilogue In the 1916 Lucky Bag, the Academy
yearbook,
the class prepared a surprise for Lieut. Zimmermann. On page one was an
impressive
photo of the bandmaster in his full dress uniform, and on the next, a
moving
tribute to his devotion to the Naval Academy. Unfortunately, Lieut.
Zimmermann
did not live to enjoy this tribute. He became ill and died suddenly on
Sunday
morning, Jan. 16, 1916, of a brain hemorrhage. He was 54 years old. He
was
given a full military funeral, with midshipmen serving as pallbearers,
and
classes were suspended so the entire regiment could attend when he was
buried
in St. Mary's Cemetery on Jan. 19, 1916.
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Marines' Hymn (From Wikipedia) The Marines' hymn is the official
hymn
of the United States Marine Corps. It is often also referred to as "The
Marine
Corps' Hymn". It is the oldest official song in the U.S. Armed Forces.
The
song has an obscure origin—the words date from the 19th century, but no
one
knows the author. The music is from the opera Genevieve de Brabant by
Jacques
Offenbach, which had its début in Paris in 1859. The Marine
Corps
secured a copyright on the song on August 19, 1919, but it is now in
the
public domain.
The initial verse is "From the Halls of Montezuma to the Shores of Tripoli". The Montezuma phrase refers to the Battle of Chapultepec. The Tripoli phrase refers actions during the First Barbary War and the Battle of Derna. Lyrics From the halls of Montezuma, to the shores of Tripoli, We fight our country's battles in the air, on land and sea. First to fight for right and freedom, and to keep our honor clean; We are proud to claim the title of United States Marine. Our Flag's unfurled to every breeze from dawn to setting sun. We have fought in every clime and place, where we could take a gun. In the snow of far off northern lands and in sunny tropic scenes, You will find us always on the job, the United States Marines. Here's health to you and to our Corps, which we are proud to serve. In many a strife we've fought for life and never lost our nerve. If the Army and the Navy ever look on heaven's scenes, They will find the streets are guarded by United States Marines. Click here to hear the "Marine's Hymn" |
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A guard or sentry obeys two sets of orders. The eleven General Orders and "special orders" that are given by the petty officer of the watch. Below are the eleven General Orders which are memorized by all naval personnel during Basic Training.
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