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Listening to yonder anthem being played during the recent sportsfest.

.......it occurred to me what a very silly piece of lyric writing it is.

Now I'm no big fan of our own little example of doggerel....'Girt by sea'...what the fuck is that? But it at least extols the virtues of youth, freedom and nature's bounty.

I admire the Kiwis for valiantly trying to get a rhyme for 'Zealand', no matter how contrived.

And the Yanks, with their Rockets Red Glare; the Frogs call to the citizens to arm themselves and take to the barricades; the Krauts stridently claiming to still rule the world. I daresay even the Russkis have something remotely stirring, perhaps with some Thaichovsky influences.

Now come on. "God Save Our Queen.....Long To Reign Over Us". Well, some divine supervision, along with a regular portion of Bombay Sapphire, seem to have delivered on that particular entreaty.
But what about a small reference to Blake's green and pleasant land, something about Ruling The Waves, even a tip of the hat to Fighting On the Beaches?


There's surely some room for improvement...