I
Blest is thy land, fair Georgia;
From the mountains to the sea.
The purpose of whose founders was
The opprest from wrongs to free.
Refrain:
Then hail to thee, our Georgia!
For of the "Old Thirteen"
No brighter star shone ever,
Or ever shall be seen.
II
"Not for themselves, but others,"
Was the way their motto ran;
And in the path of mercy
Did they early lead the van.
III
Our fathers sought the "new world,"
With a motive grand and high,
And faith in God hath ever
Led our hopes unto the sky.
IV
And so on strong foundations,
We see stately columns rise,
As symbols of those virtues,
That our Georgia people prize.
V
A soldier guards the portals
While a sunburst from above,
Illumines arch and pillars
With God's all protecting love.
VI
God grant our solons Wisdom,
Let strict Justice hold the scale
And Moderation guide the hand,
That must make the law prevail.
—By J. T. Derry.
Many of the states have a state song for the school children. Georgia has never yet had one. There are efforts being made to supply this deficiency.