Steve Crook

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.

It is sung every year by an audience of thousands at the end of the Last Night of the Proms in the Royal Albert Hall and simultaneously in the Proms in the Park venues throughout the country.

During the 1920s, many Women's Institutes started closing meetings by singing Hubert Parry's setting of William Blake's words And did those feet in ancient time, known as "Jerusalem", and this caught on nationally. Although it has never actually been adopted as the WI's official anthem, in practice it holds that position.

It is traditionally sung before the Rugby League Challenge Cup Final, along with Abide with Me.

Since 2004 it has been the anthem of the England cricket team and is regularly sung by rugby union crowds.

Steve

dremble wedge

And by me when I've had too much gin...

funlover

Just read that. What a load of tosh. If that is supposed to inspire I'd rather stick to GSTQ. We don't need that religious crap as a national hymn but one that motivates ALL people in England.

Harleybloke

In that case, motivate?

Money by Pink Floyd.

.....You couldn't hear it, if they were shooting at me with howitzers!

funlover

I wish I knew how. But Jerusalem would be totally unaccepatble in todays multi-ethnic multi-cultural socio-politico climate. It being too establishment, elitist, upper crust, public school oriented. It is would also be regarded as "too Christian"

CaptainWaggett

Nothing at all establishment about William Blake - he shocked his contempories by his attacks on orthodox Christianity. Plus, how could you have a more establishment song than one which urges a Christian God to look after the monarch and a general and confound the Scots (maybe it would be more popular if we restored that verse ), while ignoring everyone else?

Steve Crook

We Are The Champions - by Queen
It's a great singalong tune and finishes up by claiming "We are the champions of the world"


Actually that's one thing I've always liked about God Save the Queen. Whereas a lot of other national anthems say things like "we are the best", GSTQ just appeals to an imaginary superior being to save and protect our symbolic head of state.

But that tune is horrible, it's a dirge not an anthem.
And it is used by the anthems of various other countries and for "My Country 'Tis of Thee" in the States

Steve

Steve Crook

Did you read the words? There's nothing establishment, elitist, upper crust or public school oriented about it.

Did you also read my post about how it's already in use as a de-facto anthem by many groups of thousands of people.

Have you really never heard the last night of the proms? Or watched the England team in a rugby or cricket match?

Steve

funlover

All am saying [or trying to] is that a national hymn should be tottally secular and rousing. Not a melody extolling the virtues of a single religion or individual.

scholes

God Save Our Queen is the worst, most unimaginative and uninspirational national anthem .
Compared to La Marseillaise, and the Italian , Portuguese and Spanish equivalents it is simply prosaic.
Gustav Holst's Jupiter the joybringer is far more uplifting as is Jerusalem.

Suggestion
Thine be the Glory- Handel

Steve Crook

Not exactly secular

Steve

samkydd

As it is not PC to want any sort of national identity for England or the English, then perhaps we should do away with a National Anthem altogether! It must cause offence to the non-indigenous population and non C of E religions, so why bother, we don't want to upset anybody!

It's okay for the US, mainland EU countries, Wales, Scotland and Ireland to show a bit of patriotism but for some reason when the English want to it's considered xenophobic and racist!

"...the chairman of Littlewoods stores made a Keynote speech!"

Steve Crook

I think Jerusalem matches most of those criteria
The British, being British, don't associate it with anything associated with one particular religion, just with a striving for an ideal society

Steve

marker

er forgive me for mentioning this but I thought England was a Christian country

Cheers Marker

Marky B

Frank,I am a royalist,but I am no fan of our national anthem. I Vow To Thee My Country would be a better one.
Ta Ta
Marky B

I am special. The heavens always open for me.