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Subject: Speaking of which...


Author:
Ed Harris (Venezia)
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Date Posted: 23:49:54 11/06/04 Sat
In reply to: Dave (UK) 's message, "Anthems, teams etc" on 19:05:37 11/06/04 Sat

Has anyone given any thought to a proposed FC anthem? I suppose that there ought to be one, as well as a flag and all that malarkey. Since Canada, NZ and Australia have stopped using 'God Save the Queen', it now has, I fear, the connotation of representing HM's subjects in the UK only, and as such would probably not be acceptable to the former dominions.

Thoughts, anyone?

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Replies:
[> [> [> [> [> [> [> [> Subject: Anthem


Author:
David (Australia)
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Date Posted: 13:15:04 11/07/04 Sun

A recent poll in Australia had support for "God Save the Queen" as Australian anthem at 1%. I think we will need to find a new completely unbiased anthem.

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[> [> [> [> [> [> [> [> [> Subject: Anthems


Author:
Ed Harris (Shropshire)
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Date Posted: 16:51:49 11/09/04 Tue

Bloke suggested to me an old Pan-Britannic hymn as an anthem. He seemed to think that it was written at the time of the New Imperialism, around 1890, but I rather fancy that the words were written during the 'Old' New Imperialism after 1759 and the music was written before 1870. Still, for what it's worth...

Hills of the North, rejoice;
River and mountain spring,
Hark to the advent voice;
Valley and lowland, sing;
Though absent long, your Lord is nigh;
He judgment brings and victory.

Isles of the southern seas,
Deep in your coral caves
Pent be each warring breeze,
Lulled be your restless waves:
He comes to reign with boundless sway,
And makes your wastes His great highway.

Lands of the East, awake,
Soon shall your sons be free;
The sleep of ages break,
And rise to liberty.
On your far hills, long cold and gray,
Has dawned the everlasting day.

Shores of the utmost West,
Ye that have waited long,
Unvisited, unblest,
Break forth to swelling song;
High raise the note, that Jesus died,
Yet lives and reigns, the Crucified.

Shout, while ye journey home;
Songs be in every mouth;
Lo, from the North we come,
From East, and West, and South.
City of God, the bond are free,
We come to live and reign in thee!

It's fairly obvious, reading between the lines, that a lot of this is about the British Empire, especially the last verse: people from all parts of the globe, all races of the human family, 'coming home' to Jesus etc., cunningly worded in imperial cliches ('palm and pine' stuff) so that it can also mean the British administrators and soldiers coming home from all over the world to Blighty. I imagine that this hymn inspired Kipling's "The Flag of England", which in turn inspired the US Marine's battle hymn, which contains almost identical references to the non-geographical nature of their reach and influence - appropriate for the FC, whose concept of nationality is not geographical. Perhaps not appropriate for the US marines, though, who have difficulty subduing a small town occupied by a few hairy ne'er-do-wells armed with water pistols.

Anyway, whatever you think of the words, I like the melody! Try and find a midi-file of it on the internet.

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[> [> [> [> [> [> [> [> Subject: if only we could take out the "Jesus" references ...


Author:
Ian (Australia)
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Date Posted: 13:28:57 11/10/04 Wed


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[> [> [> [> [> [> [> [> [> Subject: Absolutely


Author:
Ed Harris (London)
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Date Posted: 15:45:06 11/10/04 Wed

I quite agree. But, of course, we needn't remove the vague references to 'god', since people of whatever religion have some kind of god... except for the Buddhists, I suppose, but then we could hardly have a reference to Sidhartha Gautama and karmic oneness in the anthem: it would be a bit New Age for me.

But, as Disraeli said, there should be some state acknowledgement of god, not just because he wanted to suggest that the function of the state had a spiritual as well as a material dimension, but also to acknowledge "our belief in morality and hope for the future of humanity". (A touch of Enoch Powell here, perhaps? "I never think of religion, but I believe that there should be an established Church and that the Queen shouldbe the head of it"...)

That's why I think that the U.S.A.'s oath of allegiance and all that "in God we trust" stuff works so well: it doesn't say which god!

But, to summarise: yes, enough with the Jesus bit already, but that doesn't mean that the anthem needs to be entirely secular. I accept that, even though, if I were pressed for a religious opinion, I would have to call myself an agnostic at best, and an atheist at worst.

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