‘rule the waves’ was intended more as an urging for Britain to succeed than a glorification of Britain’s achievements when it debuted in 1740. The Royal Navy had not yet established itself as the dominant force at sea – it was only in the nineteenth century that the lyrics would be subtly transformed into ‘rules the waves’ as a statement of fact. In the 1740s, it was a song that looked to the future, with the hopeful anticipation that Britain would ‘rise’ ‘still more majestic’ through commerce and military victories abroad.