Flower of Scotland is fairly slow anyway - its a lament IIRC. the french have been known to slow it further. |its a bit of a dreadful dirge but it caught the public imagination.
PP - the Saxons - you mean that bunch of German invaders?
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Does anyone actually like the English/British national anthem?
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Posted 2 years ago #
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Mefty, I'm not saying I wouldn't have them in the team. But it has been funny over the years watching (some of the particularly orange ones of) them having to stand for Amhrann na bhFiann...pure devilment on my part, nothing serious. I do love my anthem though.
Posted 2 years ago # -
My mate had Jerusalem at his wedding. Que us 8 serving and retired squaddies and the groom and best man belting it out at the top of our voices and a rather embarrased looking bride and congregation.
Posted 2 years ago # -
England and the English evolved from the Saxons
Well.. the English are evolved from the Saxons and Normans. One of the Norman (plantagenet?) guys decided he really admired the Saxons so led a big 'English' romatic revivalist movement which brought Saxons and Normans together as English. I think it was Edward III.
If you're going to split hairs about English/Normans then you might as well start banging on about Britons/Saxons/Vikings or any of the other immigrant/invading/conquering peoples.
Posted 2 years ago # -
it think we can safely say Wales has the best anthem and flag for that matter
mind you the italian and french ones are good too (anthems not flags)
Posted 2 years ago # -
While we're at it, it seems that the use of the word "celt" in reference to any british people (scots, welsh, cornish etc) is factually incorrect
http://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/2006/10/mythsofbritishancestry/
Posted 2 years ago # -
backhander, there was a group of Indo-European peoples with a similar shared culture and similar languages. They all had individual names for themselves, but because they had a taboo against wtiting, their own names have been lost, and the term 'celt' was used by later /or other cultures to descibe them ( like the way the name 'Crow' is used to describe the Absaroka people)
I suspect you knew that but were just stirring.Posted 2 years ago # -
No, there was a post in the past by someone far more educated than me.
The term celt was invented by the greeks i think for peoples who lived away from the coast.
The term celts when used towards the british people didn't occur until the 18th century and was apparently started by a notoriously poor welsh scholar.
this is all from memory but the gist is correct.Posted 2 years ago # -
Interesting west kipper. How do we know they had a taboo against writing, did somebody else write that down for them ?
Posted 2 years ago # -
Aye, those Italian leather-skirt wearing skinheads fae Rome :-)(I've forgotten what they're called) did have writing, and made detailed, but biased accounts
Back on topic though; I still reckon we should look at The Sex Pistols GSTQ as the national anthem- can you imagine how brilliant a whole stadium of people all singing "...AND WE MEAN IT, MA A A M MM!" would be?
...Enough to make even me feel British!
Posted 2 years ago # -
There is something very stirring about Flower of Scotland, I love it. But then I like laments and pipes.
Even as an atheist I find GSTQ fairly inoffensive.
Nowt compares to the Italian national anthem for me though, often whistling it for days after I hear it.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Perhaps we should have a National Anthem like Spain with no official words to upset people.
They tried to add words to it last year and guess what...they managed to upset just about everyone so no one uses them now!
I think it looks better before a football match if the players are singing though, otherwise they just stand there looking a bit nervous.
Posted 2 years ago # -
An anthem should be a stirring, rousing banner waving top-of-lungs belter that everyone loves to sing and cheer for. So on that basis, it's basically only Wales and France that qualify. The US one could qualify but they take it too seriously and stand there solemnly with hands on hearts whilst someone else sings it through a mic.
Last November I did a fun run in the Mid-West. It was quite a big one, few thousand runners, but before the race as people were milling about they had two local high school girls come out all dressed up (and freezing) and they gave it there all through the PA. Everyone stopped and stood reverentially still and quiet with hands on hearts. It was really weird.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Bit boring the Brit anthem but better than some out there.
I like the music but the song words are crap-God save the people more like!
Posted 2 years ago # -
yeah, st,george wasnt he palastinian or somefink ?
Posted 2 years ago # -
GSTQ is a crap national anthem. I hate the queen bit and the god bit. It's like a bloody funeral dirge. All these things have been said before many times.
However as an expat brit it makes me miss home whenever I hear it, brings a lump to my throat and makes the hairs on the back of my neck standup with pride at being English and British. For that reason alone it should not be changed.
Posted 2 years ago # -
But I do find it tingly when I hear the musci like on Footy world cup or F1 etc.
(Waves flag)
Posted 2 years ago # -
The Pistols did an ok version!!
Posted 2 years ago # -
There are people that should swing in the Tower for views expressed on here
Posted 2 years ago # -
You mean swing like a real hepcat daddy-O?
Posted 2 years ago # -
God save our gracious Queen. Well there's at least one blantant lie in the first line and "save" would be profitably replaced with "help".
Posted 2 years ago # -
...And theres probably no god anyway*, so whats the point in even asking?
*copyright R.DawkinsPosted 2 years ago # -
Well rewrite the words then.
Not easy. Besides the Queen is head of state which is a major part of British culture but people are moving on.
As long as she attracts tourism it's fine!
Posted 2 years ago # -
Ever thought that being a backward, inward-looking, euro-skeptic monarchy might put off tourists? Which is the most visited capital in Europe? A republican one.
The Germans now sing "einigkeit und recht und freiheit" with enthusiasm rather than "über alles" so rewrites to fit the times aren't unknown. There has even been talk of writing out something about spilling impure blood into field furrows in one anthem.
Posted 2 years ago #
Topic Closed
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