Without a doubt this is one of my favorite poems. Often when we think of “manhood” or what it means to be a “real man” we have images of John Wayne or some rough and tough hero type from the movies. And though there are a lot of admirable traits in these figures – heroism, courage, boldness, etc. – they really fall short of the picture of biblical manhood.
Though no poem or book can perfectly capture every aspect of what God calls us to as men, I have read this to my boys on numerous occasions and impressed upon them the virtues and ideals embodied in this short work. This is a poem to read and reread. And it’s worthy to have your boys memorize. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have!
Give Us Men!
Give us Men!
Men-from every rank,
Fresh and free and frank;
Men of thought and reading,
Men of light and leading,
Men of loyal breeding,
The nation’s welfare speeding;
Men of faith and not of fiction,
Men of lofty aim in action;
Give us Men-I say again,
Give us Men!Give us Men!
Strong and stalwart ones;
Men whom highest hope inspires,
Men whom purest honor fires,
Men who trample self beneath them,
Men who make their country wreath them
As her noble sons,
Worthy of their sires;
Men who never shame their mothers,
Men who never fail their brothers,
True, however false are others:
Give us Men-I say again,
Give us Men!Give us Men!
Men who, when the tempest gathers,
Grasp the standard of their fathers
In the thickest fight;
Men who strike for home and altar,
(Let the coward cringe and falter),
God defend the right!
True as truth the lorn and lonely,
Tender, as the brave are only,
Men who treat where saints have trod,
Men for Country, Home- and God:
Give us Men! I say again- again-
Give us Men!–Josiah Gilbert Holland
More Reading on Biblical Manhood
- The Masculine Mandate: God’s Calling to Men by Richard D. Phillips
- What’s the Difference?: Manhood and Womanhood Defined According to the Bible by John Piper
- Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood: A Response to Evangelical Feminism by Grudem & Piper
- Biblical Foundations for Manhood and Womanhood by Wayne Grudem
