Jerusalem, the Anthem, with simultaneous lyrics

[chinesespeakwelsh]

O god I wish this could be the official anthem...

[looby2012]

Fantastic hymn, i am scottish and will be singing this at my upcoming wedding with my english future husband, i will be proud to be standing with him singing it x

[cantorandopera]

@looby2012 Congratulations on your wedding - and how wonderful to sing this hymn at such a special occasion. Rowna

[looby2012]

@cantorandopera thank so so much Rowna, we both get a tad emotional listening to it so goodness knows what we will be like singing it lol x

[johnnycee888]

I'm am not English, but we will sing this song throughout Eternity.

I Cr 13:8a

[Ferrus91]

This is a song which was written by a radical, adopted by socialists and conservatives alike to express the hopes and desires of the nation. It is loosely based off a myth of Joseph of Aramathea taking his nephew Jesus to Cornwall to trade tin. But the answers are rhetorically no, whilst appealing to the mythology as an figure. It represents the struggle, the effort to remake England as a new jerusalem, even in spite of the satanic mills, the tawdriness of the time blake lived in and we do now.

[Propylnitrite]

Thank you very much for doing this cantorandopera.As a true born Englishman it gives me a tingle just to think that our our Lord Jesus set foot upon soil of the enternal homellamd!

[cantorandopera]

I have not deleted the ugly comments by some commentors because I think it is important for all of us to recognize that there will always be people who take something uplifting and find some hidden meaning, and twist it all around. Mankind has good and evil. They will always co-exist. Our best hope is that good wins out, and the hate mongers are seen for what they are - sick minds with an agenda for depriving others of joy.

[Vdjperks]

yer satanic mills sounds good not! bloody satanists,.

[MrJackPD]

Great upload!

[cantorandopera]

@MrJackPD thank you!

[immortalincreate]

I respect skill in any form--and I take off my hat to the masters of taking what should be horror and making it comedy. Try searching You Tube for "oliver boy for sale" to see a truly inspired example.

[adam13weishaupt]

You cannot "appreciate" Blake and at the same time go gaga about the royal family. All of Blake's poetry expresses his passionate protest against the British establishment -- the owners of those satanic mills, for instance. Please read it and actually try to understand what he is saying! Blake was closer in spirit to the rebels who founded this country than to British royalty.

[cantorandopera]

@adam13weishaupt Beautifully put, Adam. But the lyrics illustrate the great humanity that is shared by all for the love of one's country. The poetry in, "Bring me my bow of burning gold, bring me my arrows of desire . . " . . These words ring out to me as a clarion call for pride in one's nation.

[adam13weishaupt]

@cantorandopera. Love of country, yes. But pride is not the mood of the poem. Blake looks back to a holy ancient age when according to legend Jesus visited England. He contrasts it with the horrible present, when satanic mills defile the land, and vows to fight until Jerusalem is built in England -- that is, until the holy age is restored. This is a religious patriotism that has very little in common with the bombastic "national pride" of the establishment.

[wowsa0]

@adam13weishaupt Yeah but imagine how you would feel if it was an Islamic song pledging to not let their 'sword rest' until a new Mecca was built among the hills of England, and you will see why some (including me) don't like the sentiment behind the lyrics. It is a really great song though, in terms of the actual music.

[MrGilles1990]

@adam13weishaupt Rebels founded the United Kingdom, and here I thought it was queen Anne.

[cantorandopera]

@MrGilles1990 I love studying English history. No country can match the drama, with France along side, of such juicy intrigues, colorful monarchs, and stories that read like fiction.

[adam13weishaupt]

@MrGilles1990 - England annexed Wales, Scotland, and Ireland to form the United Kingdom by conquest, massacre, and bribery (listen to the song "A Parcel of Rogues").

[immortalincreate]

@adam13weishaupt You got that right. But let's not forget that the British Empire was founded on the most skillful use of propaganda in human history. I mean--the audacity of it! "'Dark Satanic Mills' eh? We'll turn that around soon enough! This lot will think it means 'God Save the Queen' when we're through with 'em!"

And don't they though!!!

[adam13weishaupt]

@immortalincreate - There have been and still are so many skillful propagandists (i.e., liars) in the world, who is most skillful is hard to say. In any case, "this lot" are Americans, aren't they? They are exposed mostly to American not British propaganda. Why do American propagandists, despite the history of their own country, exalt the British monarchy?

[mookins45]

@adam13weishaupt All I know about Blake is he said 'The walls of the brothel are built with bricks of religion'. So, so right on.

[adam13weishaupt]

Try his poem "London", here are the first and last verses.

I wander thro each charter'd street

Near where the charter'd Thames does flow

And mark in every face I meet

Marks of weakness, marks of woe

But most thro midnight streets I hear

How the youthful Harlot's curse

Blasts the new born Infant's tear

And blights with plagues the Marriage hearse

[kvigil59]

I never heard the song until watching "The Two Fat Ladies" program, where Jennifer Paterson sings it while baking cakes. I always wondered the history. It is a beautiful song, esp. sung by choir in a cathedral.

[inniespace1]

Thanks for posting this ... I'm American, but of English, Welsh and Scots ancestry ... this anthem so well expresses my appreciation for things British. God bless them!

[RebeccaRebebba]

great. ive loved this song since i was a child. Im Japanese:)

[nobledancer1]

I am staggered by the beauty of the music and Blake's incomparable turn of phrase. True poetry. Thank you very much for this jewel of a video!

[cantorandopera]

@nobledancer1 I love the poetry as well - I love the phrase - "Bring me my chariot of fire" which was, of course, the title of the wonderful British film about the 2 runners. When I first saw the movie, I didn't know the poetry or this piece, so now, in retrospect, I understand the film even more. Rowna

[Songsmirth]

@cantorandopera Didn't know that about the "chariot of fire." Thanks.  :)

[Vdjperks]

@cantorandopera wtf are you on about movie this song was written by the knights templars the satanists

[DeanCo7777]

Beautiful, elegant song. Great words. I do think it was inspired from above to challenge us all to keep standing with Christ to see His Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven. His Kingdom come. Jesus is Lord.

[PCplays99]

This a truly beautiful presentation. So well done! Thank you!

[cantorandopera]

@PCplays99 You are very welcome! I had fun putting these photos together - my personal photos of Great Britain are pre-digital and didn't scan well. This song has always inspired me, and after the Royal Wedding I was so moved, I just had to buy the song on Itunes and post the words :))

[Vdjperks]

@PCplays99 not beautiful its evil

[franiec1]

this song is to all the people who say I have no history.

[PandoraMtodd]

Very lovely and much appreciated. You did a beautiful job. In the present sad moment, Blake is much appreciated. London will heal in time, but the lesson should be learned.

[cantorandopera]

@PandoraMtodd Americans with hearts are very sadly moved to see Great Britain in so much turmoil.  I wish you all a speedy recovery from these selfish anarchists.

[adam13weishaupt]

@cantorandopera -- Old friends in England (where I'm from) tell me that most of the rioters were just looters, not anarchists. Selfish, of course, but no more so than respectable financiers, who steal much more and with much less excuse. The England Blake loved was not the England of royalty, aristocracy, and the wealthy, all of whom he hated, as you will see if you read his poems. So you can't love both Blake and THAT England (against which you Americans also once rebelled, if you recall).

[PandoraMtodd]

Very lovely and much appreciated. You did a beautiful job. In the present sad moment, Blake is much appreciated.

[AndrewPuccetti08]

A lovely version of the great hymn. The images could have been more relevant to the words.

[cantorandopera]

@AndrewPuccetti08 I did the best I could - I didn't have any personal photos from my trips to England as that was pre digital. The photos I used were from the net - and you need to use LARGE photos so that they show up not too pixilated.  I tried to capture the spirit of the words, rather than the exact meaning of each line.

[AndrewPuccetti08]

Very moving and beautiful. I enjoyed reading the lyrics during the music.

[rakkav]

I first heard this toward the end of "Chariots of Fire". William Blake alluded to the ancient local tradition that Joseph of Arimatheia brought the young Jesus with him to the tin-mining regions of Britain. What else Blake alludes to is best answered by an expert on Blake. :)

[RadiantAngel1025]

i love this song so much.....and england is a beautiful country <3

[MitzvaMobile]

But that is London??????

[cantorandopera]

@MitzvaMobile There are some London photos, sever of York, Stonhenge, a variety of castles and the English countryside :) Hope you enjoyed it.

[77Opera]

Superbe! Grand merci à vous Rowna

[cantorandopera]

@77Opera Mon Plaisir :)

[sospello]

Powerful lyrics by one of England's greatest poets. I have always loved it. Thank you, Rowna, for a great video to accompany the hymn.

[paulostroff99]

Lovely music.TY Rowna for sharing.

[BazzasBest]

I was going to use the word 'inspired' - but I see that you used it first. So I will say a beautifully crafted and 'inspirational' video. I take it that you know your London and that you like weddings, Rowna. You certainly know your Jerusalem!