Bushfire memorial service sparks national anthem debate

Sunday Herald Sun ^ | 8th March 2009 | Ellen Whinnett

[naturalman1975]

THE push to make the song I Am Australian the national anthem has been renewed after its emotional rendition at the national day of mourning for bushfire victims.

The internet is abuzz with comments that the song, written by Bruce Woodley and Dobe Newton in 1987, would make a better national anthem than the current one, Advance Australia Fair.

Online encyclopedia Wikipedia lists it as an alternative to Advance Australia Fair and several online petitions call for it to be used as the anthem.

The song was the stand-out moment of the bushfire memorial service on February 22 and its popularity has been given a further boost by Sony's decision to release it as a single to raise money for the fire victims.

But politicians are not keen to have the divisive debate about a new national anthem so soon after the last one ended in 1984.

[naturalman1975]

I happen to love I am Australian and think it's a wonderful national song. It's one of the few expressions of multi-culturalism I've ever found myself agreeing with because it's main point is that people from different cultures need to come together genuinely as one nation if it's going to mean anything. And I'm not a huge fan of Advance Australia Fair. I like it and I think it does decent service but it's always seemed a bit less than awe-inspiring to me. But I can't support a change - a National Anthem needs time to become a tradition, I think. Give it time and it will grow into it's role. Advance Australia Fair has only had twenty five years as a national anthem (though the song itself is older). It needs some time.

I thought I'd share the lyrics though of three 'potential' anthems here as a sign of different expressions of my nations patriotism. And for any comment from patriots of a different nation that is very similar to my own in a lot of ways and a bit different in others. The three - I am Australian, Advance Australia Fair, and God Bless Australia

I am Australian

I came from the dream-time, from the dusty red soil plains
I am the ancient heart, the keeper of the flame.
I stood upon the rocky shore, I watched the tall ships come.
For forty thousand years I was the first Australian.

We are one, but we are many
And from all the lands on earth we come
We share a dream and sing with one voice:
I am, you are, we are Australian

I came across in prison ship, bowed down by iron chains.
I cleared the land, endured the lash and waited for the rains.
I'm a settler, I'm a farmer's wife on a dry and barren run
A convict then a free man, I became Australian.

We are one, but we are many
And from all the lands on earth we come
We share a dream and sing with one voice:
I am, you are, we are Australian

I'm the daughter of a digger who sought the mother lode
The girl became a woman on the long and dusty road
I'm a child of the depression, I saw the good times come
I'm a bushy, I'm a battler, I am Australian

We are one, but we are many
And from all the lands on earth we come
We share a dream and sing with one voice:
I am, you are, we are Australian

I'm a teller of stories, I'm a singer of songs
I am Albert Namatjira, I paint the ghostly gums
I am Clancy on his horse, I'm Ned Kelly on the run
I'm the one who waltzed Matilda, I am Australian

We are one, but we are many
And from all the lands on earth we come
We share a dream and sing with one voice:
I am, you are, we are Australian

I'm the hot wind from the desert, I'm the black soil of the plains
I'm the mountains and the valleys, I'm the drought and flooding rains
I am the rock, I am the sky, the rivers when they run
The spirit of this great land, I am Australian

We are one, but we are many
And from all the lands on earth we come
We share a dream and sing with one voice:
I am, you are, we are Australian
I am, you are, we are Australian.

Advance Australia Fair

I'm going to put in all four verses of Advance Australia Fair here, even though only two verses (the two that will appear in bold) are the official National Anthem. I agree with that - the other verses are an important part of Australia's history but are more about Britain than Australia. (Somewhat anachronistically, I will change the Anthem verses to their modern form as I do not wish to render the Anthem inaccurately).

Australians all, let us rejoice.
For we are young and free.
We've golden soil and wealth for toil,
Our home is girt by sea.
Our land abounds in nature's gifts
Of beauty rich and rare;
In hist'ry's page, let evry stage
Advance Australia Fair
In joyful strains let us sing
Advance Australia Fair.

When gallant Cook from Albion sailed.
To trace wide oceans o'er.
True British courage bore him on.
Til he landed on our shore
Then here he raised Old England's flag.
The standard of the brave.
"With all her faults we love her still."
"Britannia rules the wave."
In joyful strains let us sing
Advance Australia Fair.

Beneath our radiant Southern Cross.
We'll toil with hearts and hands,
To make this Commonwealth of ours
Renowned of all the lands;
For those who've come across the seas
We've boundless plains to share,
With courage let us all combine
To Advance Australia fair.
In joyful strains let us sing
Advance Australia Fair.

Should foreign for e'er sight our coast.
Or dare a foot to land,
We'll rouse to arms like sires of yore
To guard our native strand;
Britannia then shall surely know,
Beyond wide oceans roll
Her sons in fair Australia's land
Still keep a British soul.
In joyful strains let us sing
Advance Australia Fair.

God Bless Australia

Finally God Bless Australia which would have been my choice for the anthem, for one important reason. It has the same tune as Waltzing Matilda which is by far the most recognisably Australian tune, all over the world.

Here in this God given land of ours, Australia
This proud possession, our own piece of earth
That was built by our fathers, who pioneered our heritage,
Here is Australia, the land of our birth.

God bless Australia, Our land Australia,
Home of the Anzac, the strong and the free
It's our homeland, our own land,
To cherish for eternity,
God bless Australia, The land of the free.

Here in Australia, we treasure love and liberty,
Our way of life, all for one, one for all
We're a peace loving race, but should danger ever threaten us,
Let the world know we will answer the call

[frankiep]

This may be off topic, and I may be in the minority here, but I always preferred God Bless America over the Star Spangled Banner and would rather have it as our national anthem.

[naturalman1975]

I think it’s on topic - nations have more than one patriotic song and opinions differ. That’s the basic point of the thread.

[kms61]

Doesn’t really matter what’s official. Waltzing Matilda is the de facto national anthem.

[naturalman1975]

Not anymore, in my opinion. Maybe twenty years ago.

[AnAmericanMother]

Keep "Advance Australia Fair". It's over 100 years old, it's stood the test of time.

"I Am Australian" will look extremely dated in 10-15 years. "Advance Australia Fair" will look just about the same as it does now, because it's already done its aging. And "God Bless Australia" is right out, not only because of the words not quite fitting the meter, but because "Waltzing Matilda" is an "own tune" and will never be anything else. (Only in Australia would a song about vagrancy, theft and suicide be considered the de facto national anthem . . . ;-) )

If you replace it, you'll have Musical Chairs Anthems and will never have a permanent anthem. Might as well go back to "God Save the Queen".

(We've been through the same thing with folks trying to replace "The Star-Spangled Banner" (only in America would the national anthem be sung to the tune of a truly silly drinking song . . . ) but it's been around too long to swap out. And the tune is not difficult, despite what people say. The trick is to start as low in your range as you possibly can on the THIRD note . . . .)

[Kirkwood]

God Bless Australia is clearly the best of the 3.

[NucSubs]

Glad you posted that. I always thought it was the official one as well.

[CondorFlight]

“Only in Australia would a song about vagrancy, theft and suicide be considered the de facto national anthem . . . “

‘Waltzing Matilda’ would make a fine anthem! It’s very recognizable and seems to encapsulate the Aussie spirit (at least, to us foreigners)

(Think of the French anthem—they sing about farmers having their throats slit and killing the invaders and fertilizing their fields with their blood—a great tune, but it needs new lyrics!)

[Kiss Me Hardy]

Naturalman, my choice would have been The Road to Gundagai, which is by far the most catchy tune. But “Advance Australia Fair” is fine.

[Kiss Me Hardy]

Naturalman, my apologies. I posted that comment before editing, so the irony tags were missing. The reason the Road to Gundagai is perfect lies in the lyrics, which record how a bunch of shearers head off for Sydney loaded with cash and then blow the lot against the tin walls of outback pubs.

Oh we started out from Roto, when the sheds had all cut out
We'd whips and whips of money as we meant to push about;
So we humped our blueys serenely and made for Sydney town,
With a three-spot check between us as wanted knocking down.

It all ends badly, of course:

In a week the spree was over, and our check was all knocked down,
So we shouldered our Matildas and we turned our backs on town.
And the girls stood us a nobblers as we sadly said goodbye,
And we tramped from Lazy Harry's on the road to Gundagai.

Kind of brings to mind how Krudd& Co., have blown and wasted the Howard legacy and why we will all shortly be returning, hungover and frail, to the misery of hard yakka.

[AnAmericanMother]

I think "La Marseillaise" pretty much encapsulates everything that was wrong with the French Revolution.

So they oughta keep it, if only as a cautionary tale.

[AnAmericanMother]

I'm laughing my head off at your screen name.

[Larry381]

Two of the most beautiful national anthems in the world, in my opinion, are Britain’s God Save The Queen and Germany’s national anthem (Das Lied der Deutschen) the melody of which was written by Franz Joseph Haydn. I seem to remember that Germany’s anthem was once part of the old Holy Roman Empire’s imperial anthem.

[Publius]

I seem to remember that Germany’s anthem was once part of the old Holy Roman Empire’s imperial anthem.

Franz Joseph Haydn wrote "Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser" as Austria's answer to "Le Marsellaise". He also used it in the variations movement of his Quartet in C Major, Op. 76/3.

Then the Lutherans adapted it for one of their hymns, and it spread throughout the Protestant community. (With a great theme by Haydn, how can you lose?)

Then when Otto von Bismarck created modern Germany, it was adapted again as "Deutschland über alles". The basic idea was benign, as the idea was that Germany was a more important concept than other nations to a patriotic German. However, with the arrival of Hitler, the anthem assumed a more sinister underlay.

Following Hitler, the anthem has morphed again. But with a theme by Haydn, now can you lose?

[Kiss Me Hardy]

Always been a bit of a Nelson buff, and I like in particular the idea of being carried to my final resting place immersed in a barrel of strong liquor. He was the bugger of a man, but we could do with a few more who believe that coming alongside the enemy and blowing his ribs out is the most effective treatment for enemies.

[AnAmericanMother]

The English seem to have the corner on eccentric military leaders who could nonetheless get the job done . . . Nelson, Wellington, Monty, Slim . . . .

I don't get what on earth he saw in Lady Hamilton . . . gross flattery, I guess, he was dreadfully vain. One of the best vignettes of Nelson & Hamilton is in Conan Doyle's Rodney Stone.

[AnAmericanMother]

"Papa Haydn's dead and gone,
But his memory lingers on,
When his heart was full of bliss,
He wrote pretty tunes like this."