Posted on 07/24/2019 9:18:08 AM PDT by CondoleezzaProtege
Why is it Wales and Scotland, who share our monarch, both have stirring national songs while England plough on with our homage to Queen Elizabeth II? It's hardly the most uplifting and melodic of tunes...Compare it to France - whose tune La Marseillaise commences at 100mph without slowing down before it's defiant ending...Queen Elizabeth is our monarch, and quite rightly we sing for her. As we did for King George in the anthem's original adaption God save great George our king.
If we got rid of God Save the Queen, what would we sing?
When England compete in the Commonwealth Games, they sing the poem Jerusalem, it's regarded in many circles as the unofficial anthem of England. As well as its use at the Commonwealth Games, cricket fans following the country's fortunes sing it with gusto before play - however, the team still sing GSTQ.
"And did those feet in ancient time, Walk upon England's mountains green?"
It meanders through three verses before the final section that boasts the dramatic end...
"Till we have built Jerusalem, In England's green and pleasant Land."
What about any other options? The patriotic song 'Land of Hope and Glory' is a contender.
'Rule, Britannia!' Now this is a song that could rival Brazil or Italy for its upbeat tempo. It screams out patriotism and defiance.
(Excerpt) Read more at coventrytelegraph.net ...
I love the ending when the girl says ‘mattress’, and everyone looks angrily at her, and she cries, “But it’s my only line!”
Just makes one want to ... kick up their heels and march into Poland, Hungary, Cuba, Eastern Germany...
But then again, I feel like that after a half a bottle of cheap vodka, too...
:^)
Germany’s “Deutschland uber Alles” always makes me want to invade something.
For me, it’s the fridge.
rebelling against the dominance of reason from the Enlightenment period.
I think it was originally a rejection of industrialization and what it was doing to the land and way of life.
I like the way you think!
Early industrial era England was bad, really bad, for most everyone but the aristocracy. They had no vote, orphanage was widespread, and the working conditions were off the charts bad. Dickens didn’t just dream up that Scrooge stuff.
The way of life in Manchester was the biggest influence on Engels deciding that workers needed a better life, and that the aristocracy would and we all know where he went with that concept. His dad owned a textile mill and he was right in the thick of the abuse.
Those mills might not have been satanic, but they were operated was nothing to much admire.
And yes, they were dark, satanic mills. The early Industrial Revolution in Britain was brutal, and Britain's ruling class one that Blake (and we, the American colonies) very rightfully rebelled against.
One of my Favorite ELP songs. (Brain Salad Surgery)
“Rule, Britannia!” has the word “slaves” in it, so they’ll probably say it’s racist for the same reason they say “The Star Spangled Banner” is racist.
Jerusalem is considered a left wing labor song by the laborites.
Sort of like the Mexican national anthem, one of the most stirring and bellicose of all national hymns. Ironically, at the very same time it was adopted, 1854, corrupt Mexican legislators were selling off chunks of their country to the US.
Saw the headline and thought of this hymn we used to sing years ago.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9lgLPXsoJQ
“Why, the French even planted a lot of trees so the Germans could march in the shade...”
The Brits fled the battlefield
That is definitely in the top 5 (non American) for me along with:
Bulgaria
Hungary
Kazakhstan (uh, the real one)
Japan
Bonus would be “The Maple Leaf Forever”, and the old Persian anthem.
When the French surrendered, the Brits were left hanging high and dry. Hence Dunkirk.
And Vichy France collaborated with the Nazis. That’s an awful large chunk of the country.
DeGaulle, as arrogant a jerk as he was, at least did not surrender.
In the age of mercantilism, those mills put England on the industrial map. Yes, there were labor abuses, just as there were in the industrializing United States.
But the rise of Labour’s New Jerusalem has corresponded directly with England’s decline. The green and pleasant land is a shell of iys former self.
That Rule Britannia is a good song. And musically I think that French anthem is pretty rousing. And the lyrics are pretty violent too.
But honestly, ours is probably one of the best.
But the Eyes of Texas beats them all, with Dixie and Battle Hymn of the Republic being silver and bronze.
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