What are the words to the British national anthem God Save the King? Song lyrics to sing for England Euro 2024 games

GOD Save the King is one of the most iconic national anthems in the world with it regularly being belted out by Brits before major sporting event.

With Euro 2024 well underway and the Three Lions tipped to go far into the tournament here are all the words to the beloved anthem.

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What are the lyrics to God Save the King?

God Save the King is one of the most memorable songs in Britain with almost everyone knowing the famous chorus.

It is officially the anthem for the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth as well as being sung at many royal occasions and at sporting events for England and Great Britain.

There are no definitive lyrics but the verses below are widely accepted as the standard version.

The lyrics of God Save the King are as follows:

God save our gracious King!

Long live our noble King!

God save the King!

Send him victorious,

Happy and glorious,

Long to reign over us:

God save the King!

O Lord our God arise,

Scatter his enemies,

And make them fall:

Confound their politics,

Frustrate their knavish tricks,

On Thee our hopes we fix:

God save us all.

Thy choicest gifts in store,

On him be pleased to pour;

Long may he reign:

May he defend our laws,

And ever give us cause,

To sing with heart and voice,

God save the King!

Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, the lyrics changed for the ruling monarch King Charles III with the words "Queen" and "her" replaced with "King" and "his".

Since its creation in 1745, different verses have been added and taken away by various composers, monarchs and fan groups.

On most occasions - such as before England Euro games - only one verse is sung.

Who wrote God Save the King?

The song was first publicly performed in London during the reign of King George II in the 18th century but an official songwriter has never been declared.

John Bull is the man most frequently linked to God Save the King as he was a popular English composer, musician and organ constructor in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Others have speculated the anthem may have derived in Catholic churches across England.

The tune has been used and adapted in several compositions over the years by famed musicians such as Beethoven, Haydn and Brahms.

What other countries sing God Save the King?

God Save the King is still used as a national anthem by some countries in the Commonwealth.

It is also still used as one of two official national anthems in New Zealand.

It was also used by Australia for some time before they started recognising Advance Australia Fair as the official song.

The catchy melody has also been replicated in other anthems such as Liechtenstein's "Oben am jungen Rhein", and the royal anthem of Norway, "Kongesangen".

How to watch Euro 2024

Football fans across the UK are eager to watch every single match of this years blockbuster tournament with all games being shown on BBC One and ITV.

The two British broadcasters are splitting the games between them both with most days having three live games during the group stage.

One channel will show two games one day then just the one the day after.

All the games will also be available on BBC iPlayer and ITVX respectively.

TV for the knockout rounds of the tournament will be announced in due course.

Both broadcasters will also show the July 14 Final on their respective channels.

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