My last post celebrated the French national anthem. In the resulting comments, one of my most esteemed, worldly-wise, handsome and culturally-advanced visitors - Mr Brague of Georgia USA - gave us a link to the sleep-inducing Swedish national anthem. This could become a game of national anthem tennis with visitors hunting out the most obscure, trite and unappealing national anthems of all.
At great personal risk and in the full expectation that I will be tracked down and water-boarded by their secret agents, I give you the anthem of the People's Republic of North Korea:-
All together now!
Let morning shine on the silver and gold of this land,
Three thousand leagues packed with natural wealth.
My beautiful fatherland.
The glory of a wise people
Brought up in a culture brilliant
With a history five millennia long.
Let us devote our bodies and minds
To supporting this Korea for ever.
The firm will, bonded with truth,
Nest for the spirit of labour,
Embracing the atmosphere of Mount Paektu,Will go forth to all the world.
The country established by the will of the people,
Breasting the raging waves with soaring strength.
Let us glorify for ever this Korea,
Limitlessly rich and strong.
I think, with your wonderful mastery of the language, you could write new anthems, and Uncle B could put them to music. I don't like the Star Spangled Banner, it's too hard to sing, and it's about a flag. America the Beautiful has nice words, but with suburban sprawl all across the fruited plain, it's quite out of date. When you update it, perhaps you could add something about the internet, global warming, and gay marriage, just for a start.
ReplyDeleteI would gladly help glorify this Korea forever, if only I knew where this Korea they are singing about is, beginning with the phrase "Three thousand leagues"...and a "country established by the will of the people"...and "limitlessly rich and strong"...
ReplyDeleteAn imaginary one, it seems.
My personal favourite is Paraguay for the false ending after 53 seconds when everyone sits down, then has to jump up again.
ReplyDeleteMexico has a very stirring anthem, but for cuteness, try Ghana.
sounds as though 100 personality challenged welsh men are snging
ReplyDeleteWe have one more "patriotic" song in the U.S., the one that uses the tune of "God Save the Queen" and gives it different words ("my country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty...etc"). That tune just sounds like a funeral dirge, doesn't it? I'd like to suggest another English tune that entices people to sing along, and is in a key everyone can handle - "Hey Jude." Maybe a shorter version. Go to the "la la" part a little sooner. My second choice would be anything by ABBA, but their music is hard to sing along with.
ReplyDeleteJAN You're right! Bob Brague and I could be the new Rogers and Hammerstein! My new American national anthem would need to include references to McDonalds, Taco Bell and - not so funny - body bags from Afghanistan.
ReplyDeleteRHYMES WITH HAMMERSTEIN Why don't you defect to North Korea? Kim Il Sung might find you useful.
SHOOTING CARROTS I do not think you were being totally honest when you said that the national anthem of Paraguay was your favourite! Some of my best friends are Paraguayan hitmen!
JOHNNY GRAY So now I know why you defected to Wales! It was the male voice choirs! How green was your valley?
JANITOR BLAWAT Next time I see The Queen I will suggest changing to "Hey Jude" with plenty of la-las and nah-nahs! She will probably say - "I am not amused!"
I'm sorry to keep sniping, it's just one of those days. I finally got home, where I can actually see YouTube stuff (it's blocked at work) and listened to the North Korean anthem. It sounds like the Mormon Tabernacle choir.
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