[Ex-Ithacan]

I'm thinking I may have been spending too much time on SSP. Since it was founded by a Canadian and has quite a Canadian influence, and since the last meet I attended was in TO, I think I'm coming under the spell of Canada. I just found myself whistling the anthem "Oh Canada" while at my work desk. Thank goodness I don't know all the words, or I might have been belting it out in a federal office building in the middle of DC. :shrug:

[Reesonov]

/\ Meh, most of us don't know the words either. You'll be fully under our control once you begin whistling the Hockey Night in Canada theme.

[bluenoser]

No worries - Canada is a pretty cool spot to hang out, if you ask me.

Hey did you know there are actually several verses/versions of O Canada but we only ever sing one? Same with the American national anthem; the Star Spangled Banner - there are four verses!

Anyways, it's always good to have input/ideas from another country so thanks!

[MolsonExport]

Official (Bilingual French-English)Ô Canada ! Terre de nos aïeux,
Ton front est ceint de fleurons glorieux !
With glowing hearts we see the rise
The True North strong and free
From far and wide, O Canada,
We stand on guard for thee
Et ta valeur, de foi trempée
Protégera nos foyers et nos droits
Protégera nos foyers et nos droits

Official (English)
O Canada! Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all thy sons command.
With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!
From far and wide,
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

Official (French)
Ô Canada! Terre de nos aïeux,
Ton front est ceint de fleurons glorieux !
Car ton bras sait porter l'épée,
Il sait porter la croix !
Ton histoire est une épopée
Des plus brillants exploits.
Et ta valeur, de foi trempée,
Protégera nos foyers et nos droits.
Protégera nos foyers et nos droits.

Translation of French lyrics
O Canada! Land of our forefathers
Your brow is wreathed with glorious garlands!
Though your arm knows how to bear the sword,
It knows how to bear the cross;
Your history is an epic
Of the most brilliant feats.
And your valour, in faith steeped,
Will protect our homes and our rights;
Will protect our homes and our rights.

Here is a little-heard complete anthem (English Version, four verses)
1. O Canada!
Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all thy sons command.
With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!
From far and wide,
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

2. O Canada! Where pines and maples grow.
Great prairies spread and lordly rivers flow.
How dear to us thy broad domain,
From East to Western Sea,
Thou land of hope for all who toil!
Thou True North, strong and free!
God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

3. O Canada! Beneath thy shining skies
May stalwart sons and gentle maidens rise,
To keep thee steadfast through the years
From East to Western Sea,
Our own beloved native land!
Our True North, strong and free!
God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

4. Ruler supreme, who hearest humble prayer,
Hold our dominion within thy loving care;
Help us to find, O God, in thee
A lasting, rich reward,
As waiting for the Better Day,
We ever stand on guard.
God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

Here are the complete french verses (four of them) of O Canada:
1. Ô Canada! Terre de nos aïeux,
Ton front est ceint de fleurons glorieux !
Car ton bras sait porter l'épée,
Il sait porter la croix !
Ton histoire est une épopée
Des plus brillants exploits.
Et ta valeur, de foi trempée,
Protégera nos foyers et nos droits.
Protégera nos foyers et nos droits.

2. Sous l'œil de Dieu, près du fleuve géant,
Le Canadien grandit en espérant,
Il est né d'une race fière,
Béni fut son berceau ;
Le ciel a marqué sa carrière
Dans ce monde nouveau.
Toujours guidé par Sa lumière,
Il gardera l'honneur de son drapeau,
Il gardera l'honneur de son drapeau.

3. De son patron, précurseur du vrai Dieu,
Il porte au front l'auréole de feu ;
Ennemi de la tyrannie,
Mais plein de loyauté,
Il veut garder dans l'harmonie
Sa fière liberté.
Et par l'effort de son génie,
Sur notre Sol asseoir la vérité,
Sur notre Sol asseoir la vérité !

4. Amour sacré du trône et de l'autel
Remplis nos cœurs de ton souffle immortel.
Parmi les races étrangères
Notre guide est la foi ;
Sachons être un peuple de frères,
Sous le joug de la loi ;
Et répétons comme nos pères
Le cri vainqueur: «Pour le Christ et le Roi»
Le cri vainqueur: «Pour le Christ et le Roi».

Here is the first verse in Inuktitut (Nunvavut territory)
Uu Kanata! nangmini nunavut!
Piqujatii nalattiaqpavut.
Angiglivalliajuti,
Sanngijulutillu.
Nangiqpugu, Uu Kanata,
Mianiripluti.
Uu Kanata! nunatsia!
Nangiqpugu mianiripluti,
Uu Kanata, salagijauquna!

[Taller Better]

^^ That was a good entry, Molson Ex! I bet I am the only one here old enough to remember the words to God Save the Queen. Truth is, ex-Ithacan, it is all part of our Canadian plot to take over the world!!

[Ex-Ithacan]

So youse guys are plotting to take over the world using your National Anthem? Brilliant!!! Don't worry, I won't tell a soul.:cheers:

[Canadian Mind]

lol, god save the queen... I like verse two of our national anthem better than verse one.

[Taller Better]

Ex-Ithacan, don't forget in a skybar thread someone is nominating you for President of the USA. I doubt if the press down there would be pleased to hear that you are being drawn over to the dark (and colder) side... could harm your chances! ;)

[Reesonov]

So youse guys are plotting to take over the world using your National Anthem? Brilliant!!! Don't worry, I won't tell a soul.:cheers:

Exactly. If everything goes according to our plan, we will soon have a Canadian-anthem-brainwashed puppet in the white house. What a delicious plan [insert evil cackle].

[circle33]

[QUOTE=Taller Better;2574792I bet I am the only one here old enough to remember the words to God Save the Queen. [/QUOTE]


I'm old enough to remember singing it in school though I don't seem to remember the words at the moment. Perhaps that makes me too old to remember them. I also remember Oh Canada before they put the "God Keep our Land..;" line in.

I'm not as old as Ex-I, though I feel like I'm getting closer.

[Ex-Ithacan]

OMG, the deviousness of the plot thickens. If I'm elected (and can learn Spanish well enough to fool the Mexican population), there's a chance the entire continent of North America could be in the hands of some beer swigging hosers from the Great White North? I applaud your outside-of-the-box thinking and ambitious plan.

btw, C33 - I had a feeling someone was catching up to me in age. Glad to know it's you.

TallerBetter -God Save the Queen? Good golly man, wasn't that popular during WW2? Maybe there are older forumers on here than I.

[harls]

I'm old enough to remember singing it in school though I don't seem to remember the words at the moment. Perhaps that makes me too old to remember them. I also remember Oh Canada before they put the "God Keep our Land..;" line in.

I'm not as old as Ex-I, though I feel like I'm getting closer.

I remember having to sing "God save our Queen" at school assemblies. I'm glad to be part of the club of older farts.

[Taller Better]

LOL! When I was very young we had to sing God Save the Queen in the morning (along with the Lord's Prayer - Our Father, who art in Heaven, "Harold" be thy name, etc:D ) and O (not oh) Canada at the end of the day. We just mumbled along unenthusiastically to all of them and never really knew what much of the lines meant! And occasionally, if the teacher suspected we were not being fully compliant with patriotism we would sing The Maple Leaf Forever! :haha: I remember the day the new Canadian flag was revealed at school, and I remember my dad was very much opposed to a new flag.
Now, if anyone says I must have sat beside Jesus in the class photo I will smack them!

Nothing is funnier than watching Canadians sing O Canada at a sporting event. No one wants to sing out loud and kind of just mumbles a bit, and moves their lips like they were doing kaeoke!! Or just stares miserably at their feet til it is close enough to the end of it that they can start cheering! Haaha!

[Reesonov]

/\ I can remember it as well. In fact, I've always felt that "God save the Queen" is a far more charming tune than our national anthem. Although, the french lyrics of the national anthem are better than the english ones. But like I suggested earlier, in the end, I prefer the HNIC theme to them all.

[habsfan]

I remember having to sing "God save our Queen" at school assemblies. I'm glad to be part of the club of older farts.

Holy shit Harls, I'm older than you and I don't ever remember singing that...then again, the fact that I was raised in Montreal might have something to do with that!!;)

[IntotheWest]

I remember having to sing "God save our Queen" at school assemblies. I'm glad to be part of the club of older farts.

Yeah, I remember it too....and the picture of the Queen in our gym. In fact, don't most Canadian arenas still have her picture hanging?

[harls]

^ I know she was hanging at the old Winnipeg arena.

There was a picture of the Queen in my high school, in the foyer by the main entrance. I only remember this because one time I remember it was covered in spitballs.. After it was cleaned, the principal reprimanded the entire school over the P.A, saying it was a travesty and disrespectful... the next day it was covered again.

[Taller Better]

I was in a situation once where the Queen actually very briefly spoke to me during one of her public appearances when I was about 17 years old.. I can remember thinking how little and short she was! And, she had a green dress on.

[caltrane74]

LOL! When I was very young we had to sing God Save the Queen in the morning (along with the Lord's Prayer - Our Father, who art in Heaven, "Harold" be thy name, etc:D ) and O (not oh) Canada at the end of the day. We just mumbled along unenthusiastically to all of them and never really knew what much of the lines meant! And occasionally, if the teacher suspected we were not being fully compliant with patriotism we would sing The Maple Leaf Forever! :haha: I remember the day the new Canadian flag was revealed at school, and I remember my dad was very much opposed to a new flag.
Now, if anyone says I must have sat beside Jesus in the class photo I will smack them!

Nothing is funnier than watching Canadians sing O Canada at a sporting event. No one wants to sing out loud and kind of just mumbles a bit, and moves their lips like they were doing kaeoke!! Or just stares miserably at their feet til it is close enough to the end of it that they can start cheering! Haaha!

Taller, you knew Jesus?

[Greco Roman]

No worries - Canada is a pretty cool spot to hang out, if you ask me.
Anyways, it's always good to have input/ideas from another country so thanks!

Although, sometimes you will find those that believe some city/provinces are better than other city/provinces and like to shove it in people's faces :hell:

But not all the time. This is quite a good country (and forum) for the most part :tup:

[Taller Better]

Taller, you knew Jesus?


Not well. He was two grades ahead of me but failed a couple of times. :D

[Reesonov]

Poor Jesus, no matter how hard he tried, could not learn his multiplication tables.

[IntotheWest]

^ I know she was hanging at the old Winnipeg arena.


Strange - maybe that's where I'm remembering it from.

[Canadian Mind]

I remember having to sing "God save our Queen" at school assemblies. I'm glad to be part of the club of older farts.

Fancy that, i'm 17 and remember god save the queen in assemblies. Also sang Oh Canada every morning at 8:15. :)

God I miss Alfuckingberta. I'll never go back. :banana:

[IntotheWest]

God I miss Alfuckingberta. I'll never go back. :banana:

Huh?

[softee]

If things go our way, you'll soon be changing your name from Ex-Ithacan to Ex-American. ;-)

[Canadian Mind]

Huh?

With less sarcasm and slightly more polite: "I didn't like it there very much."

[RWin]

And, she had a green dress on.

But not a real green dress. Thats cruel.

[Ex-Ithacan]

If things go our way, you'll soon be changing your name from Ex-Ithacan to Ex-American. ;-)


I seem to have lost control. :( Oh yeah, I lost control within my house years ago. :yes: Never mind.:D

[MonkeyRonin]

hehe, I only really know God Save the Queen from Monty Python :haha:

It probably has something to do with being younger than all you old guys, but I've never seen potraits of the queen or heard the British anthem anywhere like schools, public facilities, etc.

On a side note, I really hate the Canadian anthem. its not so much the lyrics that I dislike (its more or less a rule that all national anthems be chessy as fuck), but just the tune I find annoying. still, better than having to hear about the British Queen. and its still a nicer tune than Star Spangles Banner :D

[Andy6]

^ I know she was hanging at the old Winnipeg arena.

There was a picture of the Queen in my high school, in the foyer by the main entrance. I only remember this because one time I remember it was covered in spitballs.. After it was cleaned, the principal reprimanded the entire school over the P.A, saying it was a travesty and disrespectful... the next day it was covered again.

What an awful story.

Yes, we always recited the Lord's Prayer and sang O Canada in the morning, and in high school they also played God Save the Queen at the end of the afternoon. Somehow we survived.

[Claeren]

I also remember Oh Canada before they put the "God Keep our Land..;" line in.



Does anyone have that version?

How close together were the American and Canadian additions of godliness?




Claeren.

[Claeren]

Nothing is funnier than watching Canadians sing O Canada at a sporting event. No one wants to sing out loud and kind of just mumbles a bit, and moves their lips like they were doing kaeoke!! Or just stares miserably at their feet til it is close enough to the end of it that they can start cheering! Haaha!

I never find this, quite the opposite actually. We all belt it out at hockey games, loud as can be....

Kind of ironic in Alberta, in many ways....



Claeren.

[Taller Better]

But not a real green dress. Thats cruel.

Yellow green and covered wityh sparkly little diamante thingies! And a
real live tiara! :D

[Taller Better]

I never find this, quite the opposite actually. We all belt it out at hockey games, loud as can be....

Kind of ironic in Alberta, in many ways....



Claeren.

You know, maybe that was just a Winnipeg thing. come to think of it at
Blue Jays games they sing pretty loud. I think Peggers are shy!

[Greco Roman]

You know, maybe that was just a Winnipeg thing. come to think of it at
Blue Jays games they sing pretty loud. I think Peggers are shy!

Nope.

At Jets games, the building was always full of voices when singing the national anthum :)

[vid]

I just know the last part of God Save The Queen. :( I feel so inadequate. :(

What was in O Canada before 'God keep our land...;'?

[citizen j]

Sing "God Save the Queen"??
I AM the Queen!
(Please don't blow my cover.)

I can't remember when we stopped singing it in school.
Maybe the switch from elementary to middle school.... when we just basically stopped singing altogether.

[Andy6]

I just know the last part of God Save The Queen. :( I feel so inadequate. :(

What was in O Canada before 'God keep our land...;'?

There used to be a lot more of "O Canada, glorious and free / we stand on guard for thee". They replaced some of that with "From far and wide" and "God keep our land".

[vid]

Interesting. I didn't know that. :P

The cold war really fucked things up, didn't it? Putting God in things in which he shouldn't be.

[Andy6]

Interesting. I didn't know that. :P

The cold war really fucked things up, didn't it? Putting God in things in which he shouldn't be.

I'm not sure I see the connection between the Cold War and the words to the Canadian national anthem.

[vid]

The cold where is where 'under god' came from, I just assumed it would have been added in around the same time. :(

I have honestly never heard about it being added afterwards before today.

[Taller Better]

I remember them eviscerating O Canada to make it less miltant and less... oh, I forget, less sexist or something. Was quite a furor and I don't know if I ever did learn the new "corrected" words properly! LOL!

[vid]

'In all thy sons command' offends people.

'And yea, for Jesus was a hermaphrodite. And God saw that it was good.'

[Taller Better]

'In all thy sons command' offends people.

'

Could have been worse. They could have also inserted "daughters" to
try and equal things out! :D

[Holden West]

I'm also an old elementary school "God Save the Queen" and "original" national anthem singer. I guess when William takes over it'll be God Save the King again for the first time since 1953.

My nicest anthem story is attending a Toronto Blue Jays game at the Seattle Kingdome and the few hundred Canadians scattered throughout the old dome outsang the Americans when our anthems were played. :)

[trueviking]

every morning until grade 10 i sang o canada and every day at the end of the day, we sang god save the queen....i graduated high school in 1990....we said the lord's prayer too...how times change.

being a die hard expos fan for my entire life, i am proud to say that i can sing o canada in both languages as well as the ameircan and british anthems...i would love to know the russian anthem...it is so menacing.

didnt they formalize the words to o canada in the 80's because that guy who sang it at the forum in montreal before habs games used to change the words every saturday night?

[Canadian Mind]

what was the original anthem like? I'm only familiar with the new one.

I prefer the maple leaf forever way more anyways.

[Only The Lonely..]

^ I know she was hanging at the old Winnipeg arena.



I kinda hope that when Lizzy bites the biscuit we get a new portait of Charles or Queen Camilla to hang over the rink.

[vid]

I kinda hope that when Lizzy bites the biscuit we get a new portait of Charles or Queen Camilla to hang over the rink.

Don't say that! You'll scare the children!

[Greco Roman]

Don't say that! You'll scare the children!


I'm already scared!

DOWN WITH THE MONARCHY; USELESS TITMICE! :D

[vid]

Yeah! Let's have a dysfunctional presidency instead!

Ex-Ithican for President of Canada! / Ex-Ithicois pour le président du Canada!

[jeremy_haak]

Nothing is funnier than watching Canadians sing O Canada at a sporting event. No one wants to sing out loud and kind of just mumbles a bit, and moves their lips like they were doing kaeoke!! Or just stares miserably at their feet til it is close enough to the end of it that they can start cheering! Haaha!

Here's a video of Canada's National Anthem, featuring the Edmonton Oilers' fans. They certainly sound enthuisiastic.

Fans singing the anthem. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMZXZZbieZE)

[Andy6]

didnt they formalize the words to o canada in the 80's because that guy who sang it at the forum in montreal before habs games used to change the words every saturday night?

The problem was that it was just too repetitive - "we stand on guard for thee" over and over in the refrain. So, as I recall, Roger Doucet, the Forum singer (who was a huge national celebrity) changed some of the "we stand on guard for thee"s to something about "rights and liberteees" (thank God this didn't happen today or we'd be forced to sing about "land of diversiteeee"). That actual Canadians, rather than the Government, should decide what the words to O Canada were was too much for Trudeau, so Parliamentary committees were created, hearings were held, and the words as we now know them were legislated.

There was also a separate movement to change "in all thy sons command" while still others fumed that "our home and native land" leaves out immigrants.

[Claeren]

I'm not sure I see the connection between the Cold War and the words to the Canadian national anthem.

Cold War was a war with 'the evil communists'. (As i am sure you know)

Communists (usually) promote/mandate statewide atheism/godlessness.

This is for a number of reasons. Most notably that dogmatic faith, in this case christianity, is as much about authority and hierarchy as it is about religion, and that is a destablizing force within a communist regime - not to mention an authoritarian communist regime.

It was therefore reasoned by many allegedly christian state leaders (IE those in Canada and the USA, both of which subtly rely on authority and hierarchy to maintain their own power) fighting those 'evil godless communists' that the only logic defence against their own people being 'tricked' by communism was to 'force them' to believe, and reinforce that belief daily, in a christian god.

So they inserted christian inspired references to a number of institutional procedures, most notably the Canadian Anthem and the American Pledge of Allegiance. And then made sure that people had many opportunities to say it over and over, especially children, where the long term effect is the greatest and most lasting.



Obviously you can be non-christian/non-dogmatic (ie rational) and non-communist. But that is now, and this was then...


Claeren.

[Rob D]

TallerBetter -God Save the Queen? Good golly man, wasn't that popular during WW2? Maybe there are older forumers on here than I.

Elizabeth II did not become Queen until 1952. During WWII her father King George VI was the reigning monarch so I would assume that God Save the King would have been popular at that time.:D

[Taller Better]

DEFINITELY God Save the King was before my time! Pheeww!

[MolsonExport]

being a die hard expos fan for my entire life, i am proud to say that i can sing o canada in both languages as well as the ameircan and british anthems...i would love to know the russian anthem...it is so menacing.

didnt they formalize the words to o canada in the 80's because that guy who sang it at the forum in montreal before habs games used to change the words every saturday night?

Expos :tup:


Yeah, Raymond Doucet, I believe his name was. That is the story that I heard too.

[habsfan]

being a die hard expos fan for my entire life, i am proud to say that i can sing o canada in both languages as well as the ameircan and british anthems...i would love to know the russian anthem...it is so menacing.

Funny, i find the Russian anthem to be the best one of them all. It sounds so GRAND and Regal...or should I say imperial. Bah, it's hard to put into words.

[circle33]

Expos :tup:


Yeah, Raymond Doucet, I believe his name was. That is the story that I heard too.


Roger Doucet (http://www.canadianencyclopedia.ca/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=U1ARTU0001005) was the mans name.

And count one more who misses Baseball des Expos.

http://www.nobats.com/events/2005/tournament/images/andre_dawson_expos.jpg

[salvius]

Funny, i find the Russian anthem to be the best one of them all. It sounds so GRAND and Regal...or should I say imperial. Bah, it's hard to put into words.

Yeah, I totally agree.

This:

http://folk.ntnu.no/makarov/temporary_url_20060919zkkfg/anthem-russia-2000-offic_2001-gimn_rf_t3.mp3

Or O Canada? Ours really sounds like a sissy anthem in comparison.

[Greco Roman]

Yes; yes I have been on here too long.

[Taller Better]

^^^ I'm still laughing at "Titmice"! ! :cheers: :haha:

[Greco Roman]

^^^ I'm still laughing at "Titmice"! ! :cheers: :haha:

hehe. I know, eh?

[Nouvellecosse]

This is one of the funniest threads I've ever seen on here! :lmao:

[MTL-514]

Roger Doucet (http://www.canadianencyclopedia.ca/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=U1ARTU0001005) was the mans name.

And count one more who misses Baseball des Expos.

http://www.nobats.com/events/2005/tournament/images/andre_dawson_expos.jpg

ugh... me too

Hawk...

those were good times

[MolsonExport]

^ ahh....the 'Spos. Man, I miss the expos. I even miss watching them in the near-empty Big-Owe. My brother and I would go regularly, and buy bleacher tickets...only to get a little happy with beer (and other what-not :D) and move our way into the expensive zones...then proceed to heckle the visiting team.

[MTL-514]

summers aren't the same without our ballclub

[habsfan]

^ ahh....the 'Spos. Man, I miss the expos. I even miss watching them in the near-empty Big-Owe. My brother and I would go regularly, and buy bleacher tickets...only to get a little happy with beer (and other what-not :D) and move our way into the expensive zones...then proceed to heckle the visiting team.

Ah good times!. I used to particularly enjoy heckling Randy Johnson. From the right field bleechers, we would just start saying "raaannndy, raaaandy, raaannndy!" for 2 hours straight. Obviously keeping your throat well hydrated with beer was of the upmost importance.

[boden]

God save our gracious Queen,
Long live our noble Queen,
God save the Queen:
Send her victorious,
Happy and glorious,
Long to reign over us:
God save the Queen.

:thrasher: :thrasher: :thrasher: :thrasher: :thrasher: :thrasher: :thrasher: :thrasher:

[Ex-Ithacan]

Hokey smoke, I forgot all about this thread. And now I watch the Expos.....er, Nationals games on the local channel here. So you see, I had the plot to lure you rascals into trusting a yank, and it cost you your baseball team. SORRY.

[Architype]

Uh, don't forget this one eh, it's kind of special and used to be a national anthem too, and it's quite beautiful musically.

When sun rays crown thy pine clad hills,
And summer spreads her hand,
When silvern voices tune thy rills,
We love thee, smiling land.
We love thee, we love thee,
We love thee, smiling land.

When spreads thy cloak of shimmering white,
At winter's stern command,
Thro' shortened day, and starlit night,
We love thee, frozen land.
We love thee, we love thee
We love thee, frozen land.

As blinding storm gusts fret thy shore,
And wild waves lash thy strand,
Thro' spindrift swirl, and tempest roar,
We love thee windswept land.
We love thee, we love thee
We love thee windswept land.

As loved our fathers, so we love,
Where once they stood, we stand;
Their prayer we raise to Heaven above,
God guard thee, Newfoundland
God guard thee, God guard thee,
God guard thee, Newfoundland

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ode_to_Newfoundland