# Nation chants **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 28, 2013, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nation-chants/662121 "2013-06-28T14:35:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2013, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nation-chants/662121/21 "2013-06-30T04:20:59Z")
Not a chant, but in China you’ll hear “Zhongguo jiayou!”, meaning basically “Go China.” Literally, “jiayou” translates to “add oil.” ---
**Author:** ![dstarfire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dstarfire/32/5762_2.png) [@dstarfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dstarfire)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2013, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nation-chants/662121/22 "2013-06-30T07:58:31Z")
A supposed english soccer chant I heard of from a standup comic: “If you won the war, stand up.” (Followed by all the Brits rising, of course) Also, contrary to popular belief, the Australian national anthem is NOT ‘Waltzing Mathilda’. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2013, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nation-chants/662121/23 "2013-06-30T08:10:06Z")
> [@Shakester](#): > > You might be surprised to learn that it’s [still the national anthem of Germany](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deutschlandlied). Although they have officially dropped the “Deutschland über alles” verse, even though it is not as imperialist as it sounds. AIUI, it really means “Germany more than anything” rather than “Germany above other countries”. It was a call to national unity, written at a time when Germany was a looser confederation of states. ---
**Author:** ![NorthernBiker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/50afbb/32.png) [@NorthernBiker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NorthernBiker)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2013, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nation-chants/662121/24 "2013-06-30T09:02:18Z")
Here is an article on national World Cup chants. [http://www.npr.org/blogs/showmeyourcleats/2010/07/06/128335191/world-cup-chants-cheer-them-on-in-their-language](http://www.npr.org/blogs/showmeyourcleats/2010/07/06/128335191/world-cup-chants-cheer-them-on-in-their-language) ---
**Author:** ![Batistuta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/58956e/32.png) [@Batistuta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batistuta)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2013, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nation-chants/662121/25 "2013-06-30T09:10:15Z")
Swedes just chant “Heja, Sverige!”, meaning something like “come on, Sweden”. There are many different chants in Spain. Perhaps the most popular in recent years runs like this: "Yo soy, español, español, español [repeat time after time until the chanting dies out naturally] Which simply means “I’m Spanish, Spanish, Spanish.” Yes, nation chants are not the most imaginative ---
**Author:** ![RobDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f07891/32.png) [@RobDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobDog)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2013, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nation-chants/662121/26 "2013-06-30T09:13:28Z")
Another common English football chant when playing Germany (sung to the tune of Yankee Doodle) One World Cup and two World Wars, doo-dah, doo-dah Ah, England. Land of Pope, Dryden, Milton, casual racism and xenophobia… ---
**Author:** ![RobDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f07891/32.png) [@RobDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobDog)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2013, 9:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nation-chants/662121/27 "2013-06-30T09:27:29Z")
Not a chant as such, but showing every other nation how to sing for your country, during a match against Spain in Euro 2012 (which they were losing), the Irish fans spontaneously burst into a [5-minute long rendition of The Fields of Athenry](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-YYMN5P_iU), stopping the German commentator dead in his tracks. Brings a lump to _my_ throat, and I’m not Irish. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2013, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nation-chants/662121/28 "2013-06-30T11:36:34Z")
…does any country have dibs on [Olé, Olé, Olé](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ol%C3%A9,_Ol%C3%A9,_Ol%C3%A9)? And not really a chant, but [Always Look on the Bright Side of Life](http://militaryhumor.net/always-look-on-the-bright-side-of-life/#) seems to be an auxiliary British anthem. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2013, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nation-chants/662121/29 "2013-06-30T12:18:06Z")
대한민국! 대한민국! (Dae-han Min-guk! Dae-han Min-Guk!) (Republic of Korea! Republic of Korea!) Hmm. Doesn’t sound as catchy in English. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2013, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nation-chants/662121/30 "2013-06-30T13:37:39Z")
> [@RobDog](#): > > Not a chant as such, but showing every other nation how to sing for your country, during a match against Spain in Euro 2012 (which they were losing), the Irish fans spontaneously burst into a [5-minute long rendition of The Fields of Athenry](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-YYMN5P_iU), stopping the German commentator dead in his tracks. I listened to it. My guess is that the commentator shut up because he was listening, trying to figure out just what they were singing. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2013, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nation-chants/662121/31 "2013-06-30T13:56:23Z")
Also, it’s not a chant, but during the 2010 FIFA World Cup, I first learned about the [vuvuzela](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vuvuzela) and its importance in South African football culture. And of course Wikipedia has a [list of football songs and chants](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Football_songs_and_chants). ---
**Author:** ![RobDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f07891/32.png) [@RobDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobDog)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2013, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nation-chants/662121/32 "2013-06-30T14:56:03Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I listened to it. My guess is that the commentator shut up because he was listening, trying to figure out just what they were singing. Arsene Wenger was working for the French commentary team and he asked them to be silent so they could listen to the fans singing. My guess is that the German commentator did the same. ---
**Author:** ![Imasquare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Imasquare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Imasquare)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nation-chants/662121/33 "2013-07-02T07:11:31Z")
> [@BrokenBriton](#): > > No, we don’t have then in the UK. People tend to stand or sit for the duration of a sports event nodding and smiling politely. And sipping tea. ---
**Author:** ![jovan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/0ea827/32.png) [@jovan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jovan)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nation-chants/662121/34 "2013-07-02T14:41:17Z")
Japan: _Nippon! … Nippon! … Nippon! …_ ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nation-chants/662121/35 "2013-07-02T18:59:48Z")
Finland: Suomi! _clap clap clap_ Suomi! [and so on…] ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nation-chants/662121/36 "2013-07-02T19:06:21Z")
Push 'em back. Push 'em back. Waaaaay back! Hey, it was a\* small\* nation. Like a football field, even. ---
**Author:** ![araminty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5e925/32.png) [@araminty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/araminty)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nation-chants/662121/37 "2013-07-02T20:09:22Z")
In 1998, an enterprising young filmmaker named Tony Wilson finagled his way into having the Australian Broadcasting Corporation pay for him to go to the World Cup in Paris, to investigate this phenomenon. His [results](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bo9aCXQ4_mc) (4min long), IIRC, are sweet and interesting. The show this was filmed for, _Race Around The World_, was an amazing early competitive reality show. It also introduced [John Safran](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Safran) to the world. ---
**Author:** ![arjee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2bfe46/32.png) [@arjee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/arjee)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nation-chants/662121/38 "2013-07-05T17:39:44Z")
"Coo roo coo coo coo coo coo coooooo…: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/OJE3EgTGg9k/maxresdefault.jpg "Great White North") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJE3EgTGg9k) ---
**Author:** ![sbunny8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@sbunny8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sbunny8)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2013, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nation-chants/662121/39 "2013-07-06T21:58:40Z")
Let 'em all go to hell… except cave 76! ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2013, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nation-chants/662121/40 "2013-07-08T01:59:41Z")
> [@fiddlesticks](#): > > Finland: > > Suomi! _clap clap clap_ Suomi! [and so on…] Same for Mexico: _Me-ji-co clap clap clap Me-ji-co_…etc. PUR: _“Yo soy Boricua, p’a que tú lo sepas!”_ – “Just so you know, I’m Puerto Rican”. Lifted from some popular song refrain, I believe. I suppose it’s to let the other guys know who is it that’s beating them (since not surprisingly many will think “hey, wait, who? they have their own team?”)… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nation-chants/662121.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nation-chants/662121.md?page=3)