<P> "My Country,' Tis of Thee", also known as "America", is an American patriotic song, whose lyrics were written by Samuel Francis Smith . The melody used is the same as that of the national anthem of the United Kingdom, "God Save the Queen", arranged by Thomas Arne . The song served as one of the de facto national anthems of the United States (along with songs like "Hail, Columbia") before the adoption of "The Star - Spangled Banner" as the official U.S. national anthem in 1931 . </P> <Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> "My Country,' Tis of Thee" Piano and violin arrangement of "My Country,' Tis of Thee" </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> Problems playing this file? See media help . </Td> </Tr> </Table>

Why is my country tis of thee the same as god save the queen