# The basic gist of your national anthem **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 28, 2010, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-basic-gist-of-your-national-anthem/530716 "2010-02-28T02:34:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Lars\_Aruns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c68b51/32.png) [@Lars\_Aruns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lars_Aruns)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2010, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-basic-gist-of-your-national-anthem/530716/21 "2010-02-28T12:44:36Z")
[Il Canto degli Italiani](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_National_Anthem) (more known as _Fratelli d’Italia_). Short version: Italians, it’s about bloody time we actually gather together and kick some Austrian arse! They’re jerks and bastards, they’re eagles with no feathers, robbing and murdering Poles and stuff, and their mercenaries are wimps; we beat them in the past, we can beat them again. So, are you bloody coming or not? There’s a more flowery translation on the linked Wikipedia page. ---
**Author:** ![Teacake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Teacake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teacake)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2010, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-basic-gist-of-your-national-anthem/530716/22 "2010-02-28T12:58:31Z")
I’d sum up the British one more as “Yeah, we like the Queen. Now let’s take over the world!” ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2010, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-basic-gist-of-your-national-anthem/530716/23 "2010-02-28T14:50:31Z")
The Canadian national anthem: “We stand in goal (oops, I mean on guard) for thee.” ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2010, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-basic-gist-of-your-national-anthem/530716/24 "2010-02-28T15:24:50Z")
Ireland. If the tyrants from across the waves come we’ll give them a fight. ---
**Author:** ![Rayne\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@Rayne\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rayne_Man)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2010, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-basic-gist-of-your-national-anthem/530716/25 "2010-02-28T17:05:54Z")
> [@yojimbo](#): > > Ireland. If the tyrants from across the waves come we’ll give them a fight. Every Saturday night in the Dublin pubs. ---
**Author:** ![auRa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c4cdca/32.png) [@auRa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/auRa)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2010, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-basic-gist-of-your-national-anthem/530716/26 "2010-02-28T18:24:46Z")
The Finnish national anthem basically goes “There’s this country up north and we’re really rather fond of it. Go Finland, we’re all rooting for you!” ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2010, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-basic-gist-of-your-national-anthem/530716/27 "2010-02-28T21:48:31Z")
“Star Spangled Banner” says to me that the American Flag is more sacrosanct than the land it represents. . ---
**Author:** ![kidneyfailure](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9f8e36/32.png) [@kidneyfailure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidneyfailure)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-basic-gist-of-your-national-anthem/530716/28 "2010-03-01T01:11:06Z")
China: Get your ass up if you’re not willing to let some dude walk all over you. We’ve got a shitton of people who all are of one heart and we can just walk right into the enemy’s gunfire and not even give a shit. ---
**Author:** ![HazelNutCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@HazelNutCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HazelNutCoffee)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-basic-gist-of-your-national-anthem/530716/29 "2010-03-01T01:20:16Z")
Korea: Pretty mountains! Lovely oceans! Long live Korea! ---
**Author:** ![kidneyfailure](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9f8e36/32.png) [@kidneyfailure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidneyfailure)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-basic-gist-of-your-national-anthem/530716/30 "2010-03-01T01:27:01Z")
> [@HazelNutCoffee](#): > > Korea: Pretty mountains! Lovely oceans! Long live Korea! North Korea: We’re such a beautiful land and strong people and our culture has been around a long-ass time. Mountains, waves, countryside…we got all that shit, yadda yadda yadda. Korea will always be strong and rich. Interestingly enough, there wasn’t any reference to you-know-who. ---
**Author:** ![sisu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@sisu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sisu)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-basic-gist-of-your-national-anthem/530716/31 "2010-03-01T01:32:39Z")
We know strange words like girt. Australia Girt by sea ---
**Author:** ![dhkendall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9adbd/32.png) [@dhkendall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dhkendall)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-basic-gist-of-your-national-anthem/530716/32 "2010-03-01T13:29:04Z")
My own personal national anthem goes like this: “All praise to **Mississippienne**! For she can create threads I can really get behind! For I’m an anthematologist Considered one of the leading ones in the world (For some reason, don’t ask me why) Most of my free time is spent studying the anthems of the world And seeing a Doper view of them Is just fucking awesome!” I am a nation of people who can’t rhyme. 🙂 (You can see my views on over 400 national anthems at [nationalanthems.info](http://www.nationalanthems.info) ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-basic-gist-of-your-national-anthem/530716/33 "2010-03-01T15:23:56Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > “Star Spangled Banner” says to me that the American Flag is more sacrosanct than the land it represents. > > . Well, we used to use “My Country, 'Tis Of Thee”, which is "I’m just talkin’ bout America! _Then we can dig it!"_ but that was embarrassing 'cause it’s filk to “God Save the Queen”. We had to come up with another one in a hurry. ---
**Author:** ![footballisplayedwithyourfeet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9f8e36/32.png) [@footballisplayedwithyourfeet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/footballisplayedwithyourfeet)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-basic-gist-of-your-national-anthem/530716/34 "2010-03-01T16:12:13Z")
Slovenia’s really only says: let’s all just get along!! ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-basic-gist-of-your-national-anthem/530716/35 "2010-03-01T16:27:37Z")
I love the contrast between the civil and royal anthems of Denmark. The civil anthem says: “Our country is really pretty, it has lots of trees, the people are good-looking, and Norse goddesses live here.” The royal anthem says: “King Christian beat the _shit_ out of a lot of Swedish people so _do not fuck with Margrethe the Second because **she will fuck you up!!** _” ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-basic-gist-of-your-national-anthem/530716/36 "2010-03-01T16:35:57Z")
> [@trupa](#): > > (English version) > Canada, it’s where we live and we really like it. God, watch out for it, and we’ll watch out for it too. > (French version) > Canada, you can really fight & kick ass, but you’re a good Christian too. Yeah, I always found the French words disturbing. “Your arms know how to carry the sword and cross”? I am _not_ a Christian, and refuse to bow to their cultural imperialism! ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-basic-gist-of-your-national-anthem/530716/37 "2010-03-01T16:48:19Z")
Sweden The North (no mentioning of the country’s name, it was written in a very pan-Scandinavian spirit) with its glorious past is, has always been and will always be, a nice place to live and to die in. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-basic-gist-of-your-national-anthem/530716/38 "2010-03-01T16:52:52Z")
Not a national, but rather a provincial anthem - I always loved the “message” of _Farewell to Nova Scotia_. Basically, our country is sea-bound and dreary but I love it and I’m sad to leave to fight. My brothers are all dead, but they are better off than me - at least they have some peace! > **[Farewell to Nova Scotia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farewell_to_Nova_Scotia)** > > "Farewell to Nova Scotia" is a popular folk song from Nova Scotia, Canada. It was adapted from the Scottish lament "The Soldier's Adieu" written by Robert Tannahill. It was written sometime before or during World War I and popularized in 1964 when Catherine McKinnon used it as the theme song for the Halifax-based CBC TV program, Singalong Jubilee. > Catalogued as Roud Folk Song Index No. 384, both the tune and lyrics are public domain. > The 1791 Scottish folk song "The Soldier's Adieu" was prin... ---
**Author:** ![dhkendall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9adbd/32.png) [@dhkendall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dhkendall)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-basic-gist-of-your-national-anthem/530716/39 "2010-03-01T17:34:08Z")
> [@footballisplayedwithyourfeet](#): > > Slovenia’s really only says: let’s all just get along!! And have a drink! (Well, the original verses of Preseren’s poem say that, they didn’t pick one of those lyrics for the anthem. Same with Germany’s leaving out the verse about German wine and German women. Sheesh, people!) ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-basic-gist-of-your-national-anthem/530716/40 "2010-03-01T18:29:00Z")
> [@Malthus](#): > > Not a national, but rather a provincial anthem - I always loved the “message” of _Farewell to Nova Scotia_. > > Basically, our country is sea-bound and dreary but I love it and I’m sad to leave to fight. My brothers are all dead, but they are better off than me - at least they have some peace! > > [Farewell to Nova Scotia - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farewell_to_Nova_Scotia) Well, if we want to get into subnational anthems, [Ontario’s](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Place_to_Stand,_A_Place_to_Grow) is second only to _Small Small World_ in sheer earworm mind-persistence. _A place to stand/ And a place to grow/ We call this land/ Ontario…_ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-basic-gist-of-your-national-anthem/530716.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-basic-gist-of-your-national-anthem/530716.md?page=3)