My first thought was: "it goes up to 6?"
My second was: "oh, it's that one."
The verse was penned in the 18th century when a victorious English army marched north of the border under the command of General Wade and put down the Scottish rebels. "Wuffly", as Pontius Pilate might have put it. From memory, since I can't be bothered to look it up:
God grant that General WadeYou can of course immediately spot what's wrong with it. Unlike every other verse in the anthem it's quite specific about rhyming with "King"; the sole virtue of the national anthem as a song is that it's interchangeable between King and Queen (neither really rhyming), thus minimising the fuss when there's a changeover at the top.
By thy almighty aid
Victory bring.
May he sedition hush and like a torrent rush
The rebellious Scots to crush
God save the King.
Note that I say its sole virtue as a song. Face it, it's a dirge. But it is a powerful, stirring tune - without words and for one verse only - to make the breast swell with pride on the right occasion. As both song and anthem, though, the Marseillaise knocks it into a cocked hat. (Witness the great scene in Casablanca.) Aux armes, citoyens! Formez vos bataillons! Closely followed by the Soviet national anthem of old, which is only nudged off first place by sentiments I don't entirely agree with. Something about Communism, I think it was.
Of course, everyone on Jeremy Vine was chipping in with their own alternative verses, with the emotional righteousness and depth of a Christmas card. Here's Ben's solution: drop that verse ... In fact, drop every one except the first. Easy.
Meanwhile, Scots, Welsh and anyone else who feels slighted by the national anthem in its present form can hum along to verse 3 of the Star Spangled Banner, national anthem of our beloved close friends the Americans. That's us they're talking about, guys.
And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion
A home and a country should leave us no more?
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave.
And the star-spangled banner, in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.
With you on the anthems, Ben. Not for nothing did the Russians revert to the old Soviet anthem. You'll all be humming it tomorrow, as they used to say in eastern Europe. I believe the top three are France, Russia and Wales, but I won't quibble over the order. You could proudly march to your certain death with any of them ringing in your ears, though I still hope not to.
ReplyDeleteThe even older Tsarist Russian anthem, as heard in the 1812 overture, was pretty good too I think.
ReplyDeleteAt least we have words. Spare a thought for Spain, whose National Anthem has no official words. It's a national embarrassment at sport events etc.
ReplyDeleteAs the anthem is the old Monarchist anthem, there are two sets of words: the monarchist ones and the Franquist ones. Neither of which are quite suitable for the Spain of today.
So what is a line that no-one sings and less people know about Scots compared to this problem?
Charlie: with you on Wales.
ReplyDeleteE. Hyde: the Tsarist one is indeed also great. It also crops up in Tchaikovsky's Marche Slav.
David: Well, yes, there should be words. There should be some kind of opinion expressed and "God save the Queen" will do nicely. Even if you're a republican atheist it focuses the sentiment where it's meant to be.
The Lithuanian national anthem:
Verse 1:
We hate the Russians
We hate the Russians
We hate the Russians
Aren't we glad we're Lithuanian.
Latvians get the benefit of the doubt
And Estonians are still quite dodgy
But we hate the Russians.
Verse 2:
Ask me how I feel about the Russians ...
And so on.
I don't see what's wrong with the sixth verse of the National Anthem. I think it rocks.
ReplyDelete