Poll: Do you know the words to your national anthem?

[Fiz_The_Toaster]

Nope, and I get that one confused with "Oh Beautiful", or whatever the hell it's called.

I'm a terrible American.

I would think Americans would know their anthem as they have to sing it at football games - well im going by TV.

Incorrect!

When that starts that's when you know you just barely have enough time to go to the bathroom, get some snacks, or get more beer. It's like the 2 minute warning, but less fun and more musical!

 

[MysticSlayer]

Spoiler: It goes:

O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountains majesty
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown they good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

I've said for years that would be a far better anthem than what we have. I hate Star Spangled Banner.

Yeah, as much as my post turned into a joke, it largely came from the fact that when I first read the thread title, I began playing America the Beautiful in my mind. I think I even went through My Country Tis of Thee and part of God Bless America before I finally could focus in on Star Spangled Banner. Personally, I just find Star Spangled Banner forgettable for everything but how badly people fuck it up at football games, and the generally associated mentality that accompanies it has made it go from forgettable to rather annoying a lot of the times. I just prefer the tune and spirit of America the Beautiful.

 

[Vault101]

Australia has the worst most droning boring anthem ever

say what you want about Waltzing Matilda at least its catchy

Nope...knowing all the words to the national anthem is unAustralian.

knowing the second verse is just trying to hard

[sub/]I know the second verse[/sub]

 

[FPLOON]

Let's see...

Yes...
Yes..
Yes?
I don't want to...

Basically, my national anthem came to me both naturally and constantly while growing up, somehow I learned the Canadian national anthem, and I refuse to sing any of them without either proper context and/or, at least with the Canadian one, I'm singing along with the show on TV...

 

[jademunky]

Canadian here, yes, I can recite it word-for-word in English and French. (and I don't even speak French)

 

[Muspelheim]

I do. It's not exactly a difficult piece to learn. It's... Not a very good anthem, it's a bit too quiet and vague, and the melody doesn't got the ring and call that a proper anthem should have. But, y'know, it's your anthem. It grows on you, and what it represents to you is that matters.

The Swedish anthem being too modest and quiet? Who'd have thought it?

I also know the hymn that tend to be considered the main national one, which probably makes me the only one under 50 in the whole country.

I've learnt the Soviet anthem and the Marseillaise, mostly as my party tricks, besides them just being very good.

 

[lacktheknack]

Canadian, I know the first verse, but not the second one or the "standard French" one.

Heck, I even rewrote and performed a choral arrangement for it as a high-school music project. Aced it.

 

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

Nope. Ours is God Save the Queen. Though i dont think we have an official anthem? Either way we have the SAS/SBS so who needs god when you have that group protecting you. ;-)

I would think Americans would know their anthem as they have to sing it at football games - well im going by TV. But in the UK ive never had to ever sing the anthem.

Just a question, since as far as I know the one main lyric changes upon gender of the person on the throne... what if that person ends up being transgender or identifies as other? How then would you sing?


Captcha: glass ceiling

Relevant perhaps there Inglip...

 

[Queen Michael]

Only the first two verses. But we usually only sing those anyway, so it works.

Just a question, since as far as I know the one main lyric changes upon gender of the person on the throne... what if that person ends up being transgender or identifies as other? How then would you sing?

"God save the drag queen?"

[small]No offense intended towards any trans people. I know being a drag queen is a different thing. But somebody had to make the joke we were all thinking.[/small]

 

[Dimitriov]

Nope. Ours is God Save the Queen. Though i dont think we have an official anthem? Either way we have the SAS/SBS so who needs god when you have that group protecting you. ;-)

I would think Americans would know their anthem as they have to sing it at football games - well im going by TV. But in the UK ive never had to ever sing the anthem.

Just a question, since as far as I know the one main lyric changes upon gender of the person on the throne... what if that person ends up being transgender or identifies as other? How then would you sing?


Captcha: glass ceiling

Relevant perhaps there Inglip...

Does it surprise you to learn that it's never come up? Seriously, how likely do you think it is that that is going to happen anytime soon? Well I guess we'll all have to watch little George grow up and just wait and see...

OT: Of course I do. It's incredibly unCanadian to not know the anthem. It means you don't watch enough hockey. For the same reason you ought to know the American anthem as well. I certainly do, and for just that reason

 

[Recusant]

Yep. All four verses, like Isaac Asimov. Which puts me distinctly ahead of most of the rest of the country, which doesn't know it has more than one. Insofar as this sort of thing readily leads to jingoism, I'm not particularly enthused about it- but then, I'm a thinking being who understands that the greatness of my country doesn't diminish the greatness of others (which, sad to say, also seems to put me distinctly ahead of much of the rest of my country), so why not?

 

[Imp_Emissary]

Nnnnnope.

The only bit I know is the "God save the Queen" bit. I've purposely not read the other English reply above me so I don't accidentally learn it.

[sub][sub][sub]Push her inTO the sea. Older than Palpatine. God save the Queen! ...... I think.[/sub][/sub][/sub]

:0 Oh! So that's why they're asking God to save her. I always wondered why. ;D

OT: Um, nah. Not really. It's not like that tunes playing every day. Unless you only listen to Enclave radio I guess. ;p


Not too bad though.

 

[BathorysGraveland2]

Much like a lot of songs, I only really know the words when it's being played. If the song isn't being played, or I haven't listened to it recently, then I can't remember all the words.

 

[TheYellowCellPhone]

Yep. Because of band I had to play The Star Spangled Banner on tuba transcribed by three different people. And when I'm not playing, I'm sure singing along for the fun of it and the joy of singing off key.

I can mostly play the national march too, The Stars and Stripes Forever, except that Sousa likes making the bassline tongue really freaking fast.

 

[Colour Scientist]

I do indeed.

Amhrán na bhFiann isn't the most exciting national anthem but it can be fun to belt it out before watching a match! :3

I didn't even know that's what it was called. But I do a wonderful rendition of Where's Me Jumper. Which really should be our anthem.

That wouldn't work, we're Irish, we need something a bit miserable and something that conveys how bollocks the English are, even if we don't really mean it.


We need a song like the one Fran sings in Black Books.

 

[Summerstorm]

Ummm... half of it. Has been a while since we learned it in school. Never sung it anyway. Also i am not that nationalistic and the song is pretty bland and dull.

Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit (Unity and Law and Freedom)
Für das Deutsche Vaterland (For the german fatherland)
Danach lass uns alle streben (for that we shall all strive)
blablebla (No idea)
Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit (Unity and Law and Freedom)
Somethingsomething

well, or i could just look it up on wikipedia *g*

 

[Trivun]

I do indeed.

Amhrán na bhFiann isn't the most exciting national anthem but it can be fun to belt it out before watching a match! :3

By match do you mean rugby? Six Nations this weekend, and apparently Blighty's favourite to win... ;D

Also, I do know the words to my national anthem, the best one out there, and most of the words to half the songs considered as an 'English' anthem. Including the entirety of 'Jerusalem', and most of 'Land of Hope and Glory'...

 

[Veldel]

Nope I can not for I give no shits to learning nor caring to learn mine.

 

[necromanzer52]

They never even tried to teach us the irish national anthem in school. I can hum the tune though. I do have vague intentions of learning it, as well as some other anthems (the french one in particular), I just haven't gotten around to it yet.