World Cup 2010 National Anthems: South Africa, France, Mexico, Uruguay

March 17th, 2010 | by: Daryl |

mandela_afpgetty_164909t Seems like the most popular part of our World Cup 2010 preview podcast was the national anthems segment. I would agree, in that any segment where we’re not talking is instantly preferable to the segments where we are. But since those podcasts contain only 10-15 second lyric-less samples, I thought it was worth expanding the idea into a full series of posts about national anthems.

As you hopefully know, the national anthems of each team will be played before every World Cup game, adding to both the atmosphere and the sense of occasion. For this first post, may I present the national anthems of Group A: South Africa, France, Mexico and Uruguay.

South Africa National Anthem

From 1957 to 1997, South Africa had two national anthems. Broadly speaking “Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika” (which means “God Bless Africa” in Xhosa) was the black anthem, while “Die Stem van Suid-Afrika” (which means “The Call of South Africa” in Afrikaans) was the white anthem. Which The current South African national anthem was adopted in 1997, three years after the end of apartheid.

As a result, it carries a strong element of integration and national unity. Not so much in the lyrics, but in the way it was constructed. The new anthem combines elements of both “Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika” and “Die Stem van Suid-Afrika” and throws in a new English language verse too. The anthem also features not one language, not two, but five of the eleven most widely spoken languages in South Africa. Which puts Wavin’ Flag’s multilingual credentials in the shade.

Here are the lyrics to the South Africa national anthem in English:

God [Lord] bless Africa
May her glory be lifted high
Hear our petitions
God bless us, Your children.

God we ask You to protect our nation
Intervene and end all conflicts
Protect us, protect our nation, our nation, South Africa – South Africa

Ringing out from our blue heavens,
From our deep seas breaking round,
Over everlasting mountains,
Where the echoing crags resound.

Sounds the call to come together,
And united we shall stand,
Let us live and strive for freedom,
In South Africa our land.

France National Anthem

The French national anthem is titled “La Marseillaise”, and was apparently the rallying call during the French Revolution. It was written/composed in 1792, and so seems to be mostly about the French defeating invading armies. Easily the most stirring rendition of “La Marseillaise” (for me anyway) occurs in the movie Casablanca, where it’s sung in defiance of the occupying Nazis:

The lyrics to “La Marseillaise”, in English, are:

Ye sons of France, awake to glory,
Hark, hark! what myriads bid you rise!
Your children, wives and white-haired grandsires.
Behold their tears and hear their cries! (repeat)
Shall hateful tyrants, mischiefs breeding,
With hireling hosts, a ruffian band,
Affright and desolate the land,
While peace and liberty lie bleeding?

To arms, to arms, ye brave!
The avenging sword unsheath,
March on, march on!
All hearts resolv’d
On victory or death!

Now, now, the dangerous storm is rolling
Which treacherous kings confederate raise!
The dogs of war, let loose, are howling,
And lo! our fields and cities blaze! (repeat)
alt: And lo! our homes will soon invade!
And shall we basely view the ruin
While lawless force with guilty stride
Spreads desolation far and wide
With crimes and blood his hands embruing?

To arms, to arms, ye brave!…

With luxury and pride surrounded
The vile insatiate despots dare,
Their thirst of power and gold unbounded,
To mete and vend the light and air! (repeat)
Like beasts of burden would they load us,
Like gods would bid their slaves adore,
But man is man, and who is more?
Then shall they longer lash and goad us?

To arms, to arms, ye brave!…

O Liberty, can man resign thee
Once having felt thy generous flame?
Can dungeons, bolts or bars confine thee
Or whips thy noble spirit tame? (repeat)
Too long the world has wept, bewailing
That falsehood’s dagger tyrants wield,
But freedom is our sword and shield,
And all their arts are unavailing.

To arms, to arms, ye brave!…

Mexico National Anthem

The Mexican national anthem was chosen after poet Francisco González Bocanegra’s lyrics won a national competition. A second competition was held to find suitable music, and so the “Himno Nacional Mexicano” (also known as “Mexicanos, al grito de guerra” (Mexicans, at the cry of war!) was established in 1854. Like the French anthem, it’s all about defeating invading armies. Popular theme.

Lyrics to the Mexican national anthem, in English, are:

Mexicans, at the cry of war,
prepare the steel and the steed,
and may the earth shake at its core
to the resounding roar of the cannon.

Gird, oh country, your brow with olive
the divine archangel of peace,
for your eternal destiny was written
in the heavens by the hand of God.

But if some strange enemy should dare
to profane your ground with his step,
think, oh beloved country, that heaven
has given you a soldier in every son.

War, war without truce to any who dare
to tarnish the country’s coat-of-arms!
War, war! Take the national pennants
and soak them in waves of blood.

War, war! In the mountain, in the valley,
the cannons thunder in horrid unison

and the resonant echoes
cry out Union,
Liberty!

Oh country, ‘ere your children

defenseless bend their neck to the yoke,

May your fields be watered with blood,
may they trod upon blood.

And may your temples, palaces and towers
collapse with horrid clamor,
and their ruins live on to say:
This land belonged to a thousand heroes.

Oh, country, country, your children swear
to breathe their last in your honor,
if the trumpet with warlike accent
should call them to fight with courage.

For you the olive branches!

A reminder for them of glory!

A laurel of victory for you!

For them a tomb with honor!

Mexicans, at the cry of war,
prepare the steel and the steed,
and may the earth shake at its core
to the resounding roar of the cannon.

Uruguay National Anthem

“Himno Nacional Uruguayo” (National Anthem of Uruguay) is apparently the longest national anthem in the world at 105 bars. Or, as Wikipedia calculates “about five minutes”. The lyrics are by Francisco Acuña de Figueroa, who may also be the author of Paraguay’s national anthem, which would make him pretty prolific in the “number of different national anthems written” category.

Lyrics to the short version of the Uruguayan national anthem, in English, are as follows:

Orientals, our nation or the grave, Liberty or with glory we die.
Orientals, our nation or the grave, Liberty or with glory we die.
Its the vows that our souls pronounce and which heroically we will fulfill.
Its the vows that our souls pronounce and which heroically we will fulfill.
We will fulfill.
Its the vows that our souls pronounce and which heroically we will fulfill.
We will fulfill.
We will fulfill. We will fulfill. We will fulfill.
Liberty, Liberty, Orientals. This is the outcry which our nation saved and its braves in fierce battles of sublime enthusiasm enflamed
Liberty, Liberty, Orientals. This is the outcry which our nation saved and its braves in fierce battles of sublime enthusiasm enflamed
This Holy gift of Glory we deserved Tyrants: Tremble !
Tyrants: Tremble !
Tyrants: Tremble !
Liberty in combat we will Cry Out! And even dying, Freedom we shall also Shout !
Liberty in combat we will Cry Out! And even dying, Freedom we shall also Shout !
And even dying, Freedom we shall also Shout !
Freedom we shall also Shout !
Freedom we shall also Shout !
Orientals, our nation or the grave, Liberty or with glory we die.
Orientals, our nation or the grave, Liberty or with glory we die.
Its the vows that our souls pronounce and which heroically we will fulfill.
Its the vows that our souls pronounce and which heroically we will fulfill.
We will fulfill.
Its the vows that our souls pronounce and which heroically we will fulfill.
We will fulfill.
We will fulfill. We will fulfill. We will fulfill.

Tags: France, Mexico, national anthems, South Africa, Uruguay, World Cup 2010, World Football

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Larry

Where did you come up with that English version of "La Marseillaise"? That sounds more like an English revision than an actual translation; it strays quite a bit from the original French.

I would translate the opening verse (which is generally the only one that is sung) thusly:

Let's go, children of the fatherland
The day of glory has arrived!
Against us, on the side of tyranny,
The bloody banner is raised!
The bloody banner is raised!
Do you hear, in the countryside,
The howls of those fierce soldiers?
They are coming right into your midst
To cut the throats of your sons and your companions!

To arms, citizens!
Form your battalions!
Let's march, let's march
May impure blood
Irrigate our fields!
Adam

Uruguay should be reminded--it's not "Orientals," but "Asian-Americans"
coconut

Every time i listen to the Mexican National Anthem at a football game, it gives me goosebumps! I really pumps me up. For me, hands down its the Mexican National Anthem, but im pretty sure im being biased. I prefer it over the US National Anthem too.
Daniel

It is not strange that the Mexican Anthem is about defending the country. It was 1854 when the greedy Europeans plundered the country. Spain had invaded Mexico and stolen Mexican wealth, the United States had invaded Mexico and stolen California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, Texas, Colorado, and France would invaded Mexico a few years after the anthem was finished. It was a fraudulent time.
Gus

Jose: If you mean the LYRICS, do not worry, since this "words" have a meaning ONLY to Uruguayans, and Uruguayans are not worried about what a foreigner may think about it.An anthem is not supposed to be for world consumption as modern "music/lyrics" is nowadays. So, I'm sorry to say, you shouldn't give opinions prejudiced by jingoism or patriotic exultation. I would NEVER say something detrimental against a foreigner's national anthem lyrics, because as I said before, it concerns the people of that particular country only.
So, we are here discussing the ANTHEM'S MUSIC , and that's precisely what most of the people writing here are talking about. And in a world that thrives in "Musical" rubbish, young people without a clue what can be called music, it's quite understandable that they won't appreciate music created in the 19th Century even if Beethoven himself composed it!.
I have not a clue who are the "executing" this version of the Uruguayan anthem, I only can say that it doesn't seem to be performed by any Uruguayan Choir, and I repeat here IT'S AN AWFUL RENDITION.
What The Guardian's expert opinion may hurt nationalistic people, but he can't be called biased at all. He understand that most of the anthems music are SIMPLE UNSOPHISTICATED MARCHES, notwithstanding arousing, enthusiastic they may be, like La Marseillaise or the Mexican anthem, both of them A SIMPLE MARCH but WONDERFUL at it. The "words" in them ARE RELEVANT TO THE FRENCH AND MEXICAN PEOPLE ONLY.
Jose

Gus, the words are fairly bad and unimaginative is what I meant. Oh, and that author doesn't know what he's talking about, as he's evaluating only music and then somehow misses France--so not credible ;)
Gus

Well,I have to say that the whole thing is very debatable. According to Alex Marshall from The Guardian :

"Be Upstanding: The ten best national anthems
FIRST
Uruguay: National anthem

One of the most euphoric pieces of classical music I've ever heard. Banks of trumpets play crescendos to false endings - for five minutes. But somehow it works."

www.guardian.co.uk/music/2008/aug/11/olympics2008

I understand that the man knows what he's talking about here, and certainly he is not being patriotic!
I have to add, that the rendition presented in this article,is in no doubt, horrible, perhaps "executed" by a bunch of secondary school students on an excursion, and their Spanish accent doesn't sound very Uruguayan either. This anthem's music was created in the 1830s by an Hungarian born musician that studied music in Italy and emigrated to Uruguay, named Deballi, less than ten years after Beethoven's death to put things into perspective. That makes this anthem to sound a bit like an Opera Overture perhaps with a lot of Rossini's influence.
This is a very subjective matter, where "patriotism" and jingoism play a very important role. I particularly like the Uruguayan anthem because being an Uruguayan myself, it bonds me to the motherland. Notwithstanding I very much like the Russian/USSR and French anthems!
Scott

The French anthem is also one of those few songs/melodies that have had a dual life. It has also been a "revolutionary" song in general standing for freedom and independence. I think the Casablanca scene reflects this; e.g., the song's values are contrary to those of Nazism/Fascism. I also remember an Italian movie about a political organizer/anarchist where a group of Italians sing it to keep their courage up before a demonstration. All in all a great tune!
Al

The only thing comparable to a stadium full of Mexicans singing the national anthem, is their roar after each goal.
Sam

Ugh, I hate national anthems. Let's stick with football and not get caught up in pointless patriotism.