http://www.wordnik.com/lists/hymnie-lift-every-voice-and-sing.xml This poem, written by James Weldon Johnson, was set to music by his brother, John Rosamund Johnson. First perfomed on Lincoln's Birthday in 1900, by schoolchildren in honor of Booker T. Washington, the song has become known as "The Negro National Anthem". The third verse was used as the opening of the final benediction prayer by the Rev. Joseph Lowery at the Inauguration of President Barack Obama on Jan. 20, 2009. <br /> <br /><a href="/words/Lift every voice and sing">Lift every voice and sing</a>, <br />'Til earth and heaven ring, <br />Ring with the <a href="/words/harmonies of Liberty">harmonies of Liberty</a>; <br />Let our <a href="/words/rejoicing">rejoicing</a> rise <br />High as the <a href="/words/listening skies">listening skies</a>, <br />Let it <a href="/words/resound">resound</a> loud as the <a href="/words/rolling sea">rolling sea</a>. <br />Sing a song full of the <a href="/words/faith">faith</a> that the <a href="/words/dark past">dark past</a> has taught us, <br />Sing a song full of the <a href="/words/hope">hope</a> that the <a href="/words/present">present</a> has brought us; <br />Facing the <a href="/words/rising sun">rising sun</a> of our <a href="/words/new day">new day</a> begun, <br />Let us <a href="/words/march on">march on</a> 'til <a href="/words/victory">victory</a> is won. <br /> <br /><a href="/words/Stony">Stony</a> the <a href="/words/road">road</a> we <a href="/words/trod">trod</a>, <br /><a href="/words/Bitter">Bitter</a> the <a href="/words/chastening rod">chastening rod</a>, <br />Felt in the days when <a href="/words/hope unborn">hope unborn</a> had died; <br />Yet with a <a href="/words/steady beat">steady beat</a>, <br />Have not our <a href="/words/weary feet">weary feet</a> <br />Come to the place for which <a href="/words/our fathers">our fathers</a> sighed? <br />We have come over a way that with <a href="/words/tears">tears</a> has been <a href="/words/watered">watered</a>, <br />We have come, treading our path through the <a href="/words/blood of the slaughtered">blood of the slaughtered</a>, <br />Out from the <a href="/words/gloomy past">gloomy past</a>, <br />'Til now <a href="/words/we stand">we stand</a> at last <br />Where the <a href="/words/white">white</a> <a href="/words/gleam">gleam</a> of our <a href="/words/bright">bright</a> <a href="/words/star">star</a> is cast. <br /> <br /><a href="/words/God of our weary years">God of our weary years</a>, <br /><a href="/words/God of our silent tears">God of our silent tears</a>, <br />Thou who has brought us thus far on the way; <br />Thou who has <a href="/words/by Thy might">by Thy might</a> <br />Led us into the <a href="/words/light">light</a>, <br /><a href="/words/Keep us">Keep us</a> forever in the <a href="/words/path">path</a>, we <a href="/words/pray">pray</a>. <br /><a href="/words/Lest">Lest</a> our feet <a href="/words/stray">stray</a> from the places, our God, <a href="/words/where we met Thee">where we met Thee</a>, <br />Lest, our <a href="/words/hearts">hearts</a> <a href="/words/drunk">drunk</a> with the <a href="/words/wine of the world">wine of the world</a>, we forget Thee; <br /><a href="/words/Shadowed beneath Thy hand">Shadowed beneath Thy hand</a>, <br />May we <a href="/words/forever">forever</a> stand, <br /><a href="/words/True">True</a> to our God, <br />True to <a href="/words/our native land">our native land</a>. http://www.wordnik.com http://www.wordnik.com/words/our native land Tue, 20 Jan 2009 20:19:29 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/our native land http://www.wordnik.com/words/true Tue, 20 Jan 2009 20:19:09 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/true http://www.wordnik.com/words/forever Tue, 20 Jan 2009 20:18:50 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/forever http://www.wordnik.com/words/shadowed beneath thy hand Tue, 20 Jan 2009 20:17:58 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/shadowed beneath thy hand http://www.wordnik.com/words/wine of the world Tue, 20 Jan 2009 20:17:44 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/wine of the world http://www.wordnik.com/words/drunk Tue, 20 Jan 2009 20:17:23 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/drunk http://www.wordnik.com/words/hearts Tue, 20 Jan 2009 20:17:05 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/hearts http://www.wordnik.com/words/where we met thee Tue, 20 Jan 2009 20:16:12 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/where we met thee http://www.wordnik.com/words/stray Tue, 20 Jan 2009 20:15:56 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/stray http://www.wordnik.com/words/lest Tue, 20 Jan 2009 20:15:28 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/lest http://www.wordnik.com/words/pray Tue, 20 Jan 2009 20:14:31 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/pray http://www.wordnik.com/words/path Tue, 20 Jan 2009 20:14:10 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/path http://www.wordnik.com/words/keep us Tue, 20 Jan 2009 20:13:54 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/keep us http://www.wordnik.com/words/light Tue, 20 Jan 2009 20:13:20 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/light http://www.wordnik.com/words/by thy might Tue, 20 Jan 2009 20:13:03 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/by thy might http://www.wordnik.com/words/god of our silent tears Tue, 20 Jan 2009 20:12:50 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/god of our silent tears http://www.wordnik.com/words/god of our weary years Tue, 20 Jan 2009 20:05:10 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/god of our weary years http://www.wordnik.com/words/star Tue, 20 Jan 2009 20:04:45 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/star http://www.wordnik.com/words/bright Tue, 20 Jan 2009 20:04:23 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/bright http://www.wordnik.com/words/gleam Tue, 20 Jan 2009 20:03:31 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/gleam http://www.wordnik.com/words/white Tue, 20 Jan 2009 20:03:11 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/white http://www.wordnik.com/words/we stand Tue, 20 Jan 2009 20:02:01 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/we stand http://www.wordnik.com/words/gloomy past Tue, 20 Jan 2009 20:00:52 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/gloomy past http://www.wordnik.com/words/blood of the slaughtered Tue, 20 Jan 2009 20:00:37 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/blood of the slaughtered http://www.wordnik.com/words/watered Tue, 20 Jan 2009 20:00:06 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/watered http://www.wordnik.com/words/tears Tue, 20 Jan 2009 19:59:24 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/tears http://www.wordnik.com/words/our fathers Tue, 20 Jan 2009 19:58:59 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/our fathers http://www.wordnik.com/words/weary feet Tue, 20 Jan 2009 19:57:57 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/weary feet http://www.wordnik.com/words/steady beat Tue, 20 Jan 2009 19:57:37 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/steady beat http://www.wordnik.com/words/hope unborn Tue, 20 Jan 2009 19:57:18 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/hope unborn http://www.wordnik.com/words/chastening rod Tue, 20 Jan 2009 19:55:46 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/chastening rod http://www.wordnik.com/words/bitter Tue, 20 Jan 2009 19:55:23 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/bitter http://www.wordnik.com/words/trod Tue, 20 Jan 2009 19:55:01 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/trod http://www.wordnik.com/words/road Tue, 20 Jan 2009 19:54:40 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/road http://www.wordnik.com/words/stony Tue, 20 Jan 2009 19:54:17 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/stony http://www.wordnik.com/words/victory Tue, 20 Jan 2009 19:53:50 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/victory http://www.wordnik.com/words/march on Tue, 20 Jan 2009 19:50:31 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/march on http://www.wordnik.com/words/new day Tue, 20 Jan 2009 19:50:13 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/new day http://www.wordnik.com/words/rising sun Tue, 20 Jan 2009 19:49:48 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/rising sun http://www.wordnik.com/words/present Tue, 20 Jan 2009 19:49:13 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/present http://www.wordnik.com/words/hope Tue, 20 Jan 2009 19:48:46 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/hope http://www.wordnik.com/words/dark past Tue, 20 Jan 2009 19:48:21 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/dark past http://www.wordnik.com/words/faith Tue, 20 Jan 2009 19:47:59 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/faith http://www.wordnik.com/words/rolling sea Tue, 20 Jan 2009 19:47:36 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/rolling sea http://www.wordnik.com/words/resound Tue, 20 Jan 2009 19:47:14 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/resound http://www.wordnik.com/words/listening skies Tue, 20 Jan 2009 19:46:39 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/listening skies http://www.wordnik.com/words/rejoicing Tue, 20 Jan 2009 19:46:19 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/rejoicing http://www.wordnik.com/words/harmonies of liberty Tue, 20 Jan 2009 19:46:01 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/harmonies of liberty http://www.wordnik.com/words/lift every voice and sing Tue, 20 Jan 2009 19:45:38 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/lift every voice and sing