National anthem of England
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| Proposed National Anthems of England: God Save the Queen Jerusalem Land of Hope and Glory I Vow to Thee, My Country |
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|---|---|
| Proposed National Anthem of |  England |
| Adopted | None |
England does not have an official anthem, and so adopts "God Save the Queen", which is the United Kingdom and Commonwealth anthem. However many popular patriotic songs are sung in its place. These include "Jerusalem", "Land of Hope and Glory" and "I Vow to Thee, My Country.
At present, the following anthems are used:
- At international football and rugby union matches, England use "God Save the Queen" as its national anthem.
- At international test cricket matches, England have, since 2004, used "Jerusalem" as the anthem.
- At international rugby league matches, England have used "Land of Hope and Glory", but in the 2005 internationals changed to "God Save the Queen".
- At the Commonwealth Games, team England use "Land of Hope and Glory" as its victory anthem.
In April 2007, MP Greg Mulholland introduced an Early Day Motion proposing that England have its own national anthem.[1] Many have been used or proposed as a separate national anthem. These songs include:
Contents |
[edit] Land of Hope and Glory
[edit] Lyrics
Land of Hope and Glory, mother of the Free,
How shall we extol thee, who are born of thee?
Wider still and wider shall thy bounds be set;
God, who made thee mighty, make thee mightier yet.
God, who made thee mighty, make thee mightier yet.
[edit] History
It is particularly noted for being played on the occasion of the Last Night of the Proms amidst much flag-waving, and for having long been seen as the unofficial anthem of the Conservative Party. The tune for the song was taken from the first of Edward Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance marches. The song is also used as the anthem of England at the Commonwealth Games; England, as part of the United Kingdom, has as its anthem God Save the Queen (or King).
[edit] Jerusalem
[edit] Lyrics
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 and pleasant Land.
[edit] History
The most famous version of this famous poem is the song, with music by Hubert Parry, which was orchestrated by Sir Edward Elgar in 1922 for a large orchestra at the Leeds Festival. Upon hearing the orchestral version for the first time, King George V said that he preferred that "Jerusalem" replace "God Save the King" as the national anthem.
The poem's idealistic theme or subtext accounts for its popularity across the philosophical spectrum. It was used as a campaign slogan by the Labour Party in the 1945 general election. (Clement Attlee said they would build "a new Jerusalem"). The song is also the unofficial anthem of the Women's Institute, and historically was used by the National Union of Suffrage Societies. It has also been sung at conferences of the Conservative Party.
It is frequently sung as an office or recessional hymn in English cathedrals, churches and chapels on St George's Day. The hymn is also sung in some churches on Jerusalem Sunday, a day set aside to celebrate the holy city, in Anglican Churches throughout the world and even in some Episcopal Churches in the United States. However some vicars in the Church of England, according to the BBC TV programme Jerusalem: An Anthem for England, have said that the song is not technically a hymn, as it is not a prayer to God (which hymns always are). Consequently, it is not sung in some churches in England.
Since "Jerusalem" is considered to be England's most popular patriotic song, it has often been used as an alternative national anthem and there have been calls to give it official status[2]. However as a Romanticist poem it has come under criticism, mainly for asking four questions: each with a literal answer of 'no'. Consequently some see it as unsuitable as an English national anthem, especially as its reference to a foreign city would be puzzling to other nations.
Ultimately, none of the English national anthems have any relation to England itself (excepting Jerusalem). Instead, British national cultures are used in "Rule Britannia" and "Land of Hope and Glory".
[edit] I Vow to Thee, My Country
[edit] Lyrics
- I vow to thee, my country, all earthly things above,
- Entire and whole and perfect, the service of my love;
- The love that asks no question, the love that stands the test,
- That lays upon the altar the dearest and the best;
- The love that never falters, the love that pays the price,
- The love that makes undaunted the final sacrifice.
- And there's another country, I've heard of long ago,
- Most dear to them that love her, most great to them that know;
- We may not count her armies, we may not see her King;
- Her fortress is a faithful heart, her pride is suffering;
- And soul by soul and silently her shining bounds increase,
- And her ways are ways of gentleness, and all her paths are peace.
[edit] History
The origin of the lyrics is a poem by diplomat Cecil Spring-Rice which he wrote in 1908 whilst posted to the British Embassy in Stockholm. Then called Urbs Dei or The Two Fatherlands, the poem described how a Christian owes his loyalities to both his homeland and the heavenly kingdom. The first verse, as then written, had a direct and heated patriotism of a kind which has become less popular since the First World War.
The first verse is a reference to England and the sacrifice of those who died during the First World War. The second verse starting, "And there's another country" is a reference to heaven. The final line is based on Proverbs 3:17, which reads in the King James Bible, "Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace."
