National Anthem

[Leonis]

Which do you (no matter where you're from) think is better as a National Anthem of Australia?

Our current one:
Advance Australia Fair
Byeter Dodds McCormick

Verse One

Australians all let us rejoice,
For we are young and free;
We've golden soil and wealth for toil,
Our home is girt by sea;
Our land abounds in Nature's gifts
Of beauty rich and rare;
In history's page, let every stage
Advance Australia fair!
In joyful strains then let us sing,
"Advance Australia fair!"

Most Aussies can get up to here ok. The now official version contains the first and third verses. There is no Australian who knows all five. There are only 6 Aussies who even know there are 5 verses.

Verse Two

When gallant Cook from Albion sail'd,
To trace wide oceans o'er,
True British courage bore him on,
Till he landed on our shore.
Then here he raised Old England's flag,
The standard of the brave;
With all her faults we love her still,
"Brittannia rules the wave!"
In joyful strains then let us sing
"Advance Australia fair!"

Verse Three

Beneath our radiant southern Cross,
We'll toil with hearts and hands;
To make this Commonwealth of ours
Renowned of all the lands;
For those who've come across the seas
We've boundless plains to share;
With courage let us all combine
To advance Australia fair.
In joyful strains then let us sing
"Advance Australia fair!"


Verse Four

While other nations of the globe
Behold us from afar,
We'll rise to high renown and shine
Like our glorious southern star;
From England, Scotia, Erin's Isle,
Who come our lot to share,
Let all combine with heart and hand
To advance Australia fair!
In joyful strains then let us sing
"Advance Australia fair!"
Verse Five

Shou'd foreign foe e'er sight our coast,
Or dare a foot to land,
We'll rouse to arms like sires of yore
To guard our native strand;
Brittannia then shall surely know,
Beyond wide ocean's roll,
Her sons in fair Australia's land
Still keep a British soul.
In joyful strains the let us sing
"Advance Australia fair!"


Or this one, which many Aussies could and do sing entirely...?

Waltzing Matilda
By: Andrew Barton ("Banjo") Paterson


Once a jolly swagman
Camped by a billabong,
Under the shade
Of a coolibah tree,
And he sang as he watched
And waited 'til his billy boiled
"You'll come a-waltzing,
Matilda, with me"

Waltzing Matilda,
Waltzing Matilda
You'll come a-waltzing,
Matilda, with me
And he sang as he watched
And waited 'til his billy boiled,
"You'll come a-waltzing,
Matilda, with me"

Down came a jumbuck
To drink at the billabong,
Up jumped the swagman
And grabbed him with glee,
And he sang as he stowed
That jumbuck in his tucker bag,
"You'll come a-waltzing,
Matilda, with me"

Waltzing Matilda,
Waltzing Matilda
You'll come a-waltzing,
Matilda, with me
And he sang as he watched
And waited 'til his billy boiled,
"You'll come a-waltzing,
Matilda, with me."

Down rode the squatter,
Mounted on his thoroughbred,
Up came the troopers,
One, two, three,
"Where's that jolly jumbuck
You've got in your tucker bag?
You'll come a-waltzing,
Matilda, with me"

Waltzing Matilda,
Waltzing Matilda
You'll come a-waltzing,
Matilda, with me
And he sang as he watched
And waited 'til his billy boiled,
"You'll come a-waltzing,
Matilda, with me."

Up jumped the swagman,
Sprang into the billabong,
"You'll never catch me
Alive," said he,
And his ghost may be heard
As you pass by the billabong,
You'll come a-waltzing,
Matilda, with me.

Waltzing Matilda,
Waltzing Matilda
You'll come a-waltzing,
Matilda, with me
And he sang as he watched
And waited 'til his billy boiled,
"You'll come a-waltzing,
Matilda, with me."

[ 10-12-2003, 10:39 AM: Message edited by: Leonis ]

Matilida’s were infantry tanks in World War 2 I think.
Some of them had 4 pounder guns, but some had a vicars maxim gun instead and they were sometimes painted green.

However it is written (somewhere) that all countries national anthems have to be pompous guff, So I don’t think you would be allowed to have Waltzing Matilda as your anthem.

[Beaumanoir]

I think a national anthem should basically state what the country thinks of itself and wants others to think. I hate the english national anthem. 'God save the queen'. Its a terrible national anthem. A) Half of England doesnt like the queen B) And Alot don't belive in god! Its stupid. But like aussies, not many English can sing past the first verse of ours either! Switch to Rule Britannia. As for the aussie one I can't remember the first one you stated... Sorry

[Aelia Jusa]

Well I didn't know there were 5 verses, thought there were 3 (although I didn't know the words to the second two, and glad too - Brittania rules the waves? ). However since those verses are never played that hardly matters. An anthem isn't supposed to go on for half an hour, especially if the tune is the same the whole way through. But I absolutely don't agree that Waltzing Matilda should be a national anthem. The lyrics are inappropriate for an anthem and at times make no sense at all. The fact that people know the words isn't really relevant if they aren't meaningful, and I think most people know the words of the current anthem anyway, at least the amount that is nearly always played. Waltzing Matilda is a great song and it certainly rouses an Australian spirit at sporting events and so on, but it's not an anthem and wasn't meant to be. It's a bush ditty.

Actually I wouldn't be able to sing it in its entirety. That whole bit about the thoroughbred is all hazy for me

Actually I think 'I Still Call Australia Home' would be cool as the anthem. It's suitably rousing, has meaningful lyrics and most people know it too [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Tancred]

'Jerusalem', Beaumanoir. I want it to be 'Jerusalem' because it's good and it's short.

[Davros]

I like what we have - particularly the one or two verses that we do sing. I have sung it too often an sporting events, and listened proudly as it is played for Olympic gold medal winners to ever want to change it.

At the Sydney olymics it was my all time favourite ditty .

Waltzing Matilda would be a laughing stock in my eyes as a national anthem. Great song, but it goes too long for a national anthem and says nothing positive on national identity. Just my 2 cents.

[wellard]

I really like the currant national anthem Leonis. Just compare it to that morbid dirge that NZ has. However a couple of the verses could do with being lost. I posted a thread similar to this about a year ago and Donut made special mention of the second verse!

'I Still Call Australia Home' Is a also a great song and infact I use it as my sig in Cloudys excellent oasis forum.

http://www.theoasisforums.com/yabbse/index.php#1

and yes Aelia Jusa it would be a great national anthem. However I see no benifit in changing the national anthem yet again. A lot of resistance is still felt just because of it's newness. Watcthing my son and other schoolkids sing the national anthem every morning with gusto is quite heartwarming. Given another decade or two I think it will have become a very ingrained and popular song.


Now as for the flag [img]graemlins/1puke.gif[/img] dont get me started [img]graemlins/hehe.gif[/img]

[Aelia Jusa]

Originally posted by wellard: 'I Still Call Australia Home' Is a also a great song and infact I use it as my sig in Cloudys excellent oasis forum. http://www.theoasisforums.com/yabbse/index.php#1 and yes Aelia Jusa it would be a great national anthem. However I see no benifit in changing the national anthem yet again.

No me neither. I only suggested 'I Still Call Australia Home' since a proposal of a replacement to our current anthem was made and I thought, if we're going to change it at least change it to something that's not about a sheep thief who commits suicide to avoid being caught

I actually like our anthem a lot. As you point out, it's cheerful, doesn't mention anywhere about deities saving our land/leaders and it's not too long. Last night I heard the Japenese anthem at the rugby - I dunno if it was the way they played it but it was so dreary and slow and depressing! And I think the Russian one is in a minor key!! How uninspiring [img]graemlins/idontagreeatall.gif[/img]

[wellard]

Originally posted by Davros: I like what we have - particularly the one or two verses that we do sing. I have sung it too often an sporting events, and listened proudly as it is played for Olympic gold medal winners to ever want to change it. At the Sydney olymics it was my all time favourite ditty .

Yes listening to it being played at the medal ceremonies at sporting events all the time can be monotonous *NOT* [img]graemlins/heee.gif[/img]

[Leonis]

Originally posted by Eisenschwarz: Matilida’s were infantry tanks in World War 2 I think. Some of them had 4 pounder guns, but some had a vicars maxim gun instead and they were sometimes painted green. However it is written (somewhere) that all countries national anthems have to be pompous guff, So I don’t think you would be allowed to have Waltzing Matilda as your anthem.

From this source

waltzing matilda Matilda was a mock-romantic word for a swag, and to waltz matilda was to hit the road with a swag on your back. Very few non-Australians seem to understand this, and hence regard the song as gibberish or cute, something like 'Jabberwocky' set to music. "'Twas brillig and the slithy toves ..." indeed. The term is thought to come from a German expression. Auf die Walz gehen means to take to the road (as of apprentices in the Middle Ages, who were required by their Master to visit other Masters and report back, before they could secure their release. The dance, anglicised as 'waltz', came several centuries later). Matilda is a girl's name, applied to one's bed-roll. As a correspondent points out, this is a bit of a come-down for a name that originated as the Teutonic Mathilde - 'Mighty in Battle'.

Or more simply:

Waltzing Matilda; to go walkabout looking for a job carrying your swag.