Hymn, With Rhymed Free Verse
Given that Johnson's poem was written to be sung, it can be characterized as a hymn. A hymn, of course, is a religious song, and Johnson's poem fits the bill because the last stanza of the poem is all about G-O-D. This is a religious poem, even though God doesn't pop up until the end.
The meter of the poem is irregular, which means that it's written in a form known as free verse. But even though the poem doesn't adhere to any particular poetic meter, we can still see certain patterns at play. Let's take the first five lines as an example:
Lift every voice and sing
Till earth and heaven ring,
Ring with the harmonies of Liberty;
Let our rejoicing rise
High as the listening skies. (1-5)
If we study these lines, we'll notice that there are seven syllables in the first two lines, ten syllables in the third line, and seven syllables in lines 4-5. This pattern is repeated in the second and third stanzas of the poem. We might also notice that there's a lot of rhyming in these lines. The word "sing" rhymes with "ring" and "rise" rhymes with "skies." Similar rhyming patterns are also in the other two stanzas. In fact, the rhyme scheme of the first ten lines of each stanza is exactly the same: AABCCBDDEE, where each letter represents that line's end rhyme. Stanza 1 stops after ten lines, while stanzas 2 and 3 tack on added lines, but the start of each is identical.
In each stanza, we'll also find a couple of really long lines. For instance: "We have come over a way that with tears has been watered,/ We have come, treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered" (17-18). There are fourteen syllables in each of these lines; in the other two stanzas of the poem, we'll also find a couple of lines that are fourteen syllables long.
What's more, a lot of the lines have an iambic rhythm: one unstressed syllable is followed by one stressed syllable. We can see this iambic rhythm in action in the following two lines, for example:
Yet with a steady beat,
Have not our weary feet. (14-15)
So even though "Lift Every Song and Sing" doesn't conform to a specific meter throughout, we can see that Johnson's poem creates its own patterns and rhythms. That stands to reason, really. In a poem that celebrates the historical progress of African-Americans in the face of systemic racism, it seems fitting that this poem finds its own form. It may not be regular all the time, but it's rhythm is strong enough to maintain itself throughout—much like the people it celebrates.