Thursday, March 04, 2010

I Would Find It Hard To Sing That

Apparently, the original 2nd line of Canada's national anthem was "True patriot love thou dost in us command," which does not trip lightly off the modern tongue. In any case, count me among the 8% of Canadians (in this not particularly scientific poll) who totally don't care, although if push came to shove I'd prefer if the Hendrix performance was made the official version. You can just hum along to it or play air-guitar.

Tony Clement, however, is bullshitting:

"The prime minister has heard from some Canadians on this and I think it’s better to have a fulsome debate, rather than just shuffling it off," Clement said Wednesday.

Clement said he has heard complaints from some of his constituents as recently as last week.

"I think this has been rolling around for a while actually," said the MP from Parry Sound, Ont.

"Maybe it was a bit subterranean . . . . (But) we got so used to singing O Canada at the Olympics, maybe it became more top of mind, I don’t know."

Yeah, after jobs, unemployment, the environment, transfer payments, the deficit, Afghanistan, reasonable accommodation, the seal hunt, what's gonna happen next on "Lost", the fate of the Salt Spring Island brown nosed ferret, the Theodore Sask. mayoral race...practically everyone in the nation has been sweating over ways to make our already mondo boring national anthem even less singable.

What a time waster! And how is it possible for the Harper gov. to be even more idea-less than they were last go-round?

9 comments:

double nickel said...

Talk about a shovel ready priority.

Anonymous said...

As a woman, for years now, i've been changing that line to "in all of us command" when i sing the anthem. The "sons" reference does bother me. However, if they're going to rework the anthem, let's dump the asinine "god" reference too - as an atheist, that bothers me just as much. I don't even sing that part - i just hum it or switch to the french version.

skdadl said...

Oh, God. That misuse of "fulsome" just drives me up teh wall.

See Lady Alison on "Thy Dustiness." Imagine little kids trying to make sense of "thou dost in us." It's too painfully funny. Sort of like "Wolfe, the donkless hero."

UU4077 said...

HOw about "The Maple Leaf Forever"?

Dr.Dawg said...

"all of us command"

"let's keep our land"

Easy-peasy.

Tof KW said...

How about "The Maple Leaf Forever"?

Better yet, "God Save the Queen"?

Oh wait, there's that nasty reference to a deity one may or may not recognise. Sheesh!

Ti-Guy said...

HOw about "The Maple Leaf Forever"?

As long as I get to write the French version of the rarely-sung nor remembered first verse:

In Days of yore,
From Britain's shore
Wolfe the dauntless hero came
And planted firm Britannia's flag
On Canada's fair domain.
Here may it wave,
Our boast, our pride
And joined in love together,
The thistle, shamrock, rose entwined,
The Maple Leaf Forever.


...oh, the fun I shall have...

Tof KW said...

God save the queen/ She ain't no human bean.
...and the fascist ray-zheem

Hey I'm all for that version if everyone else is :)

Gayle said...

Change the last line to Calgary and I think this one pretty much summarizes the CPC supporters' views of Canada.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzCccvr2XIg&feature=PlayList&p=98F5