Christopher Smart's poetry A Song to David was most likely composed during his incarceration in a psychiatric institute while writing Jubilate Agno. The poem was first published in 1771 along with several other poems by Smart. In the poem, which is dedicated to George III, Smart expresses his admiration for the king and offers him "the product of my mind / Which has no rival for its worth." He goes on to praise the British nation for its literature and technology, before ending the poem with an apology for not having written anything new since his imprisonment. The music was probably written by Thomas Clarke, who was also incarcerated at the time for murdering his wife. It is possible that they may have collaborated on the song; however, this cannot be confirmed as nothing more than an idea until evidence emerges one way or another. What is known is that after their release from prison they went their separate ways: Clarke continued to serve as a choir master at Salisbury Cathedral while Smart settled down in London where he took up a job as a tax collector. As for the song itself, it contains some very unusual features for its time. To begin with, it is in 4/4 time instead of the common 3/4 used by most 18th-century composers.