I've always had trouble with the patriotic hymn 'I Vow to Thee my Country'; it doesn't address God and it seems to me that the implicit claims it makes for the nation state are idolatrous. So I' pleased to see a set of words that I can sign up to on the whole. Not sure if I want to sing 'socialists' in verse 3 and would prefer another word; 'patriots' would be an interesting choice. Thanks to Billy Bragg. If you want to catch a bit of the reasoning behind it read the article.
"The many not the few
We vow to build a country
Where all can live in health
Where no child need live in poverty
Where we will share our wealth
Where we fulfil the true potential
Of each and every one
And we achieve more together
Than we achieve alone
As democrats and socialists
We hold this to be true
From each by their ability
To everyone their due
We vow to build a country
Where none of us take heed
Of birth or disability
Of race or sex or creed
By the strength of our endeavour
We can build the world anew
And put the power in the hands of
The many not the few
For there is a simple principle
That no one shall displace
We are all alike in humankind
We are the human race"
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