E. E. Cummings published "next to of course god america i" in 1926 as part of his poetry collection Is 5, which contained a number of anti-war poems. In keeping with this, the poem satirizes the intense patriotism that many people adopted during World War I. A (very) loosely structured sonnet, the poem features a speaker who feverishly rants about America and war, making a number of patriotic and nationalistic comments that feel hollow. However, it's hard to determine if the speaker says these things sarcastically or if the speaker actually thinks this way. What remains clear is that the poem invites readers to think critically about excessive, unquestioning patriotism.
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The Full Text of “next to of course god america i”
1"next to of course god america i
2love you land of the pilgrims' and so forth oh
3say can you see by the dawn's early my
4country 'tis of centuries come and go
5and are no more what of it we should worry
6in every language even deafanddumb
7thy sons acclaim your glorious name by gorry
8by jingo by gee by gosh by gum
9why talk of beauty what could be more beaut-
10iful than these heroic happy dead
11who rushed like lions to the roaring slaughter
12they did not stop to think they died instead
13then shall the voice of liberty be mute?"
14He spoke. And drank rapidly a glass of water
The Full Text of “next to of course god america i”
1"next to of course god america i
2love you land of the pilgrims' and so forth oh
3say can you see by the dawn's early my
4country 'tis of centuries come and go
5and are no more what of it we should worry
6in every language even deafanddumb
7thy sons acclaim your glorious name by gorry
8by jingo by gee by gosh by gum
9why talk of beauty what could be more beaut-
10iful than these heroic happy dead
11who rushed like lions to the roaring slaughter
12they did not stop to think they died instead
13then shall the voice of liberty be mute?"
14He spoke. And drank rapidly a glass of water
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“next to of course god america i” Summary
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“next to of course god america i” Themes
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The Dangers of Excessive Patriotism
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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “next to of course god america i”
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Lines 1-2
"next to of course god america i
love you land of the pilgrims' and so forth -
Lines 2-5
oh
say can you see by the dawn's early my
country 'tis of centuries come and go
and are no more what of it we should worry -
Lines 6-8
in every language even deafanddumb
thy sons acclaim your glorious name by gorry
by jingo by gee by gosh by gum -
Lines 9-11
why talk of beauty what could be more beaut-
iful than these heroic happy dead
who rushed like lions to the roaring slaughter -
Lines 12-13
they did not stop to think they died instead
then shall the voice of liberty be mute?" -
Line 14
He spoke. And drank rapidly a glass of water
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“next to of course god america i” Symbols
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The Speaker's Thirst
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“next to of course god america i” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
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Alliteration
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Allusion
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Assonance
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Consonance
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Diacope
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Enjambment
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Rhetorical Question
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Irony
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“next to of course god america i” Vocabulary
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
- 'Tis
- Deafanddumb
- Thy
- Acclaim
- Glorious
- Gorry
- Jingo
- Gee
- Gum
- Slaughter
- Shall
- Liberty
- Mute
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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “next to of course god america i”
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Form
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Meter
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Rhyme Scheme
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“next to of course god america i” Speaker
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“next to of course god america i” Setting
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Literary and Historical Context of “next to of course god america i”
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More “next to of course god america i” Resources
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External Resources
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Cummings Reads the Poem — Listen to E. E. Cummings himself read "next to of course god america i" in this old recording.
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The Life of E. E. — To learn more about E. E. Cummings and his work, check out this brief overview of his life and writing.
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Cummings's Paintings — E. E. Cummings was also a skilled painter—see for yourself in this short exploration of his visual art!
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Structure and Style — This essay by the poet Paul Muldoon offers up an interesting investigation of Cummings's odd, inimitable style.
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The Rebellion of E. E. Cummings — An interesting essay about E. E. Cummings's—and his unorthodox stylistic decisions—published in the magazine of his alma mater, Harvard University.
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LitCharts on Other Poems by E. E. Cummings
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