Thursday, April 23, 2009

God Save the [Reigning Sovereign]

When I said I wasn't planning to do any national anthems soon, I was forgetting that today (April 23, which it is where and when I'm writing) is St. George's Day. So here goes.

Here's what the English sing before international sports contests.

But since Betty Windsor's sovereignty extends beyond the boundaries of England, I've decided to add a couple of pieces which seem to refer to England itself. On the second one, you can fast forward to 4:30 to get to the familiar tune.

The words don't come through too clearly in the versions of "Land of Hope and Glory" and "Jerusalem" above, so here are others.

1 comment:

  1. Betty Windsor - priceless.
    I had to go to Buck House once, and before I was presented, I was schooled by an earnest equerry to address the Sovereign firstly as 'Your Majesty' and subsequently as "ma'am, as in jam, not maam, as is harm". Of course, in my nervousness, I got it all wrong, and called her 'mum' as in plum. Ah well, it would have been nice to have collected a knighthood, but I don't think I could face a return trip!

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