Jerusalem
Notation:
Standard Notation
ABC Notation
Mandolin Tablature
Violin Tablature
legacy / hymn tune
PDF Files:
--- choose file type ---
Standard Notation
Mandolin Tablature
Violin Tablature
Song Sheet
Standard Notation - wide
Mandolin Tablature - wide
Violin Tablature - wide
Charles Hubert Parry/William Blake
Play
MIDI
No audio
available
Transcription: by Darryl D. Bush
View
notes
Lyrics:
And did those feet in ancient time
walk upon England's mountains green?
And was the holy Lamb of God
on England's pleasant pastures seen?
And did the countenance divine
shine forth upon our clouded hills?
And was Jerusalem builded here
among these dark satanic mills?
Bring me my bow of burning gold!
Bring me my arrows of desire!
Bring me my spear! O clouds, unfold!
Bring me my chariot of fire!
I will not cease from mental fight,
nor shall my sword sleep in my hand,
till we have built Jerusalem
in England's green and pleasant land.
"Jerusalem" is a hymn melody written by Charles Hubert Hastings Parry (1848-1918)
in 1916 as a setting for the lyrics "And did those feet in ancient time" by
William Blake (1757-1827), a poem by William Blake from the preface to his epic
Milton: A Poem in Two Books, one of a collection of writings known as the
Prophetic Books, printed c. 1808.
It is often assumed that the poem was inspired by the apocryphal story that a
young Jesus, accompanied by Joseph of Arimathea, a tin merchant, travelled to
what is now England and visited Glastonbury during his unknown years.
Instead, the poem draws on an older story, repeated in Milton's History of
Britain, that Joseph of Arimathea, alone, travelled to preach to the ancient
Britons after the death of Jesus.
According to some English legends, Joseph brought with him the spear that
pierced Jesus' side and a chalice that became the Holy Grail of Arthurian
legend.
The phrase "dark Satanic Mills", which entered the English language from this
poem, is often interpreted as referring to the early Industrial Revolution and
its destruction of nature and human relationships.
The phrase "chariot of fire" has become a byword for divine energy, and
inspired the title of the 1981 film Chariots of Fire, in which the hymn
"Jerusalem" is sung during the final scenes. The plural phrase "chariots of
fire" refers to 2 Kings 6:17.
It has been published in 28 hymnals.
Click
here
for a full page view.