In your country or within your ethnic group what is the favorite “Patriotic” song or song that expresses national or cultural pride?
For example
In France they have “La Marseillaise”.
In England they have “God Save the Queen”.
In Scotland they have “Loch Lomond”.
In Ireland they have “Oh Danny Boy”.
In Hawaii it’s “Aloha Oe”.
In Texas it’s “Deep in the Heart of Texas”.
As an Englishman, I’d claim to be in the same broad ethnic group as the Welsh and the French and I think “La Marseillaise” and the Welsh National Anthem “Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau” (“Land Of My Fathers”) are the two finest National Anthems that I’ve heard.
I find “God Save The Queen” a bit dreary, hardly anyone knows the words to “Rule Brittania”, the music to “Land Of Hope And Glory” rather wonderful but it takes a while to get to the chorus, so my vote for an English patriotic song would be “Jerusalem”.
Begrudging respect for “Flower Of Scotland” as well. But don’t tell anyone…
I am from Russia but I am not Russian.
I like Russian Shanson (like gangsta) songs, but not patriotic songs.
I agree. Those two always come top, or nearly top, of the list when national anthems etc get discussed here. 
“Loch Lomond” isn’t a patriotic song as such. It’s more like “oh shit, we’re all going to die”.
That song is supposedly the national anthem of the U.K. as a whole. However, I think a lot of people don’t like it much. Or at all.
Well the tune was changed to an American patriotic song “My Country tis of Thee”.
I admire the British soldiers singing “God Save the Queen” in the movie “The Bridge over the River Kwai”.
As noted, God Save The Queen is the British, rather than the English, national anthem. It is also sung at football and rugby games when England play, which is unsatisfactory all round - it pisses off the Welsh, Scots and Northern Irish, and leaves the English feeling like we don’t have any songs of our own (which isn’t true).
Most English people would say ‘Jerusalem’ (actually a hymn), or ‘Land of Hope and Glory’.
… As well as “A Nation Once Again,” “Kelly The Boy From Kilane,” “God Save Ireland,” “The Rising Of The Moon,” “Song For Ireland,” “The Fields Of Athenry,” “Only Our Rivers Run Free,” “Come Out, Ye Black and Tans,” and a whole bunch of others.
IMHO, the place has the richest treasure of patriotic music in the world.
The Danes have “Kong Christian stod ved højen mast,” technically not the *national *anthem but the royal anthem, and far more fierce and warlike. The third line literally mentions “smashing the Goth’s [i.e. the Swede’s] helmet and brain.” Jeez, Denmark, chill out will ya.
‘God Save the Queen’ sucks.
‘Jerusalem’ for me too. It is about England specifically, and it avoids triumphalism - instead saying that the country is beautiful but there are things to improve, about which we have responsibility (as well as incorporating a legend that Joseph of Arimathea brought the young Jesus to England):
And did those feet in ancient time
Walk upon England’s mountains green:
And was the holy Lamb of God,
On England’s pleasant pastures seen!
And did the Countenance Divine,
Shine forth upon our clouded hills?
And was Jerusalem builded here,
Among these dark Satanic Mills?
Bring me my Bow of burning gold;
Bring me my Arrows of desire:
Bring me my Spear: O clouds unfold!
Bring me my Chariot of fire!
I will not cease from Mental Fight,
Nor shall my Sword sleep in my hand:
Till we have built Jerusalem,
In England’s green & pleasant Land
“Jerusalem”, huh?
I’m tempted to write a patriotic Israeli song called “London”.
Only if you see London as some impossible ideal. 
You’ll find few UK people that hold a special love for “God save the Queen” A dismal dirge.
All of the home nations have better anthems than that, as do France, Germany, Italy, Russia and the USA (but unfortunately everyone that “performs” it ceremonially absolutely ruins it).
I’d be happy to switch to Jerusalem or a section of “Pomp and Circumstance” as an anthem, they’ve both got a bit of “oomph” to them.
My favourite patriotic piece of all has to be Elgar’s “Nimrod”. It is the de-facto theme for remembrance day and always gives me goose-bumps. But as an anthem you can’t sing or “tum-te-tum” along to it but it would have everyone in floods of tears so there’s that.
It’s a pain finding (a) words that as many people as possible can in conscience and with a straight face sing along to (b) a tune that as many people as possible can sing along to without murdering it or their vocal cords (c) a tune that also feels uplifting and inclusive. Jerusalem is one of the best on all counts but it’s England only. God Save The Queen works better musically in some arrangements than others (the two-verse Britten arrangement is pretty impressive, but not practicable for frequent use by most people). I Vow To Thee My Country (the “big tune” from Holst’s Jupiter) is strong and impressive, but goes perilously high for most people and the words that were written for it are a bit over the top in the WW1 mould. The refrain for Rule Britannia is too short on its own and the verse too difficult for choral singing (and the words more than a bit dated, though the last verse could be a reasonably anodyne sort of compromise).
I think if we’re looking for something that celebrates whatever it is that distinctively identifies Britishness and brings us all together, we could do worse than:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SE5IfIkl_oA
ooo! how about the intro music for the BBC sports reporton a Saturday.
Nice and light, easy to hum along too, has a jaunty naval feel to it. There’s nothing in there about slaughtering anyone but there is a little known final verse that speaks about “enslaving the fuzzie-wuzzies” so there’s always that.
“God Save the King” back then.
“Flower of Scotland” is the main Scottish one, but I’m not a fan.
The French and the Welsh have the best anthems. They work particularly well when sung by large crowds in stadiums.
I have very little administrative loyalty. Preferably stand up for equality and opportunity so I guess the best option is The Internationale:
You’d have a hard time finding an Irish person who thinks of ‘Danny Boy’ as a patriotic song, or a song that expresses national and cultural pride. It’s just a song. It’s one of those things that foreigners think of as Essence of Irishness, but we don’t.
We have tons and tons of ‘patriotic’ songs, for practically every value of the term, but probably the core one is the national anthem. And ‘Fields of Athenry’ gets sung a lot at international football and rugby matches.
…I’m not sure it fits the bill, but the Maori love song Pōkarekare ana is our go-to Waiata: either this or Dave Dobbyn’s Loyal or Welcome Home.
Here is Pōkarekare ana, sung at NZ Parliament when the Same Sex Marriage bill got passed a couple of years ago.
Curveball : the Internationale. Damn all of your stupid archaic nations, and mine too :).
[QUOTE=Baron Greenback]
The French and the Welsh have the best anthems. They work particularly well when sung by large crowds in stadiums.
[/QUOTE]
Depends on how you define “best”. When you look at the lyrics the Marseillaise is pretty fucking warlike and creepy. Also I’m not sure impure blood is FDA-approved for irrigation purposes.
The shattered and trampled bodies of the Prussian hordes surely provide the foundation of the very best terroirs.