On this day, April 19, 1775, 251 years ago, “the shot heard ’round the world” took place, being the first shot fired by the minutemen in Concord, Massachusetts. The “Concord Hymn,” written by Ralph Waldo Emerson, eloquently explains this event, the start of a volatile time in American history when the patriots fought the first battles against the British in the American Revolutionary War. “Concord Hymn” was first published as a leaflet at the 1837 dedication of the Minuteman Monument commemorating the Battles of Lexington and Concord. It is written in four stanzas to be sung as a hymn.
“Concord Hymn”
By the rude bridge that arched the flood,
Their flag to April’s breeze unfurled,
Here once the embattled farmers stood
And fired the shot heard ’round the world.
The foe long since in silence slept;
Alike the conqueror silent sleeps;
And Time the ruined bridge has swept
Down the dark stream which seaward creeps.
On this green bank, by this soft stream,
We set today a votive stone;
That memory may their deed redeem,
When, like our sires, our sons are gone.
Spirit, that made those heroes dare
To die, and leave their children free,
Bid Time and Nature gently spare.
