Of the I see

If you happen to be hanging out near Cleo these days, and she's really engrossed with what she's doing, and you listen rather closely - well, you might get to hear an interesting rendition of 'America.' She learned it in class - or, rather, learned a version of it that makes sense to her, and that bears a general resemblance to the more widely accepted version. That is, she sings it something like this:

Tis of the
Sweet land of liberty
Of the I see
Land where my father died
Land of the pilgrims pride
On ev'ry mountainside
Of the I see

It's easy to smile at such a version, and its gentle misunderstandings and alterations. But don't try to correct it! When I suggested that in fact the song says, 'Of thee I sing,' I was met with a sheer wall of denial and criticism. And, really, why insist? After all, the original lyrics, written by Samuel Francis Smith in 1831, were simply set against the melody of 'God Save the Queen,' producing a patriotic variant on the British hymn to royal authority.

To an Englishman, in other words, the words feel all wrong. Or to an almost-five-year-old, who feels that her version is the one that matters.