"O Where are Kings and Empires Now" is a powerful old hymn I found in the Book of Common Prayer, and was inspired to set it to a new melody that invokes a sense of victory that the anthemic lyrics proclaim. You can also listen to the rest of the album (21 songs!) by clicking here!
Here are the lyrics to sing along:
O where are kings and empires now
Of old that went and came?
But, Lord, your Church is praying yet,
A thousand years the same.
We mark her goodly battlements
And her foundations strong;
We hear within the solemn voice
Of her unending song.
For not like kingdoms of the world
Your holy Church, O God,
Though earthquake shocks are threatening her,
And tempests are abroad,
Unshaken as eternal hills,
Immovable she stands,
A mountain that shall fill the earth,
A house not made by hands.
Lyrics by Arther Cleveland Coxe, 1818-1896
New music © Stacey Plays Hymns 2026.
