Official Lyrics of O Canada

Official Lyrics of O Canada!

O Canada!
Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all thy sons command.

With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!

From far and wide,
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

O Canada" was proclaimed Canada's national anthem on July 1, 1980, 100 years
after it was first sung on June 24, 1880. The music was composed by Calixa
Lavallée, a well-known composer; French lyrics to accompany the music were
written by Sir Adolphe-Basile Routhier. The song gained steadily in
popularity. Many English versions have appeared over the years. The version
on which the official English lyrics are based was written in 1908 by Mr.
Justice Robert Stanley Weir. The official English version includes changes
recommended in 1968 by a Special Joint Committee of the Senate and House of
Commons. The French lyrics remain unaltered.

The Canadian Anthem
"O Canada"
O Canada! Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all thy sons command.
With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North, strong and free!
From far and wide,
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

Refrain
O Canada, glorious and free!
We stand on guard, we stand on guard for thee.
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee!

O Canada! Where pines and maples grow.
Great prairies spread and lordly rivers flow.
How dear to us thy broad domain,
From East to Western Sea,
Thou land of hope for all who toil!
Thou True North, strong and free!

Refrain
O Canada, glorious and free!
We stand on guard, we stand on guard for thee.
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee!

O Canada! Beneath thy shining skies
May stalwart sons and gentle maidens rise,
To keep thee steadfast through the years
From East to Western Sea,
Our own beloved native land!
Our True North, strong and free!

Refrain
O Canada, glorious and free!
We stand on guard, we stand on guard for thee.
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee!

Ruler supreme, who hearest humble prayer,
Hold our dominion within thy loving care;
Help us to find, O God, in thee
A lasting, rich reward,
As waiting for the Better Day,
We ever stand on guard.

Refrain
O Canada, glorious and free!
We stand on guard, we stand on guard for thee.
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee!

English Canada in general probably first heard "O Canada" when school
children sang it when the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall (later King George V
and Queen Mary) toured Canada in 1901. Five years later Whaley and Royce in
Toronto published the music with the French text and a translation into
English made by Dr. Thomas Bedford Richardson, a Toronto doctor. The
Mendelssohn Choir used the Richardson lyrics in one of their performances
about this time and Judge Routhier and the French press complimented the
author.



Richardson version:
O Canada! Our fathers' land of old
Thy brow is crown'd with leaves of red and gold.
Beneath the shade of the Holy Cross
Thy children own their birth
No stains thy glorious annals gloss
Since valour shield thy hearth.
Almighty God! On thee we call
Defend our rights, forfend this nation's thrall,
Defend our rights, forfend this nation's thrall.

In 1908 Collier's Weekly inaugurated its Canadian edition with a competition
for an English text to Lavallée's music. It was won by Mercy E. Powell
McCulloch, but her version did not take.



McCulloch version :
O Canada! in praise of thee we sing;
From echoing hills our anthems proudly ring.
With fertile plains and mountains grand
With lakes and rivers clear,
Eternal beauty, thos dost stand
Throughout the changing year.
Lord God of Hosts! We now implore
Bless our dear land this day and evermore,
Bless our dear land this day and evermore.

Since then many English versions have been written for "O Canada". Poet
Wilfred Campbell wrote one. So did Augustus Bridle, Toronto critic. Some
were written for the 1908 tercentenary of Quebec City. One version became
popular in British Columbia...



Buchan version:
O Canada, our heritage, our love
Thy worth we praise all other lands above.
From sea to see throughout their length
From Pole to borderland,
At Britain's side, whate'er betide
Unflinchingly we'll stand
With hearts we sing, "God save the King",
Guide then one Empire wide, do we implore,
And prosper Canada from shore to shore.

However the version that gained the widest currency was made in 1908 by
Robert Stanley Weir, a lawyer and at the time Recorder of the City of
Montréal. A slightly modified version of the 1908 poem was published in an
official form for the Diamond Jubilee of Confederation in 1927, and has
since been generally accepted in English speaking Canada. The 1908 version,
however, reads as follows:

O Canada! Our home and native land
True patriot love thou dost in us command.
We see thee rising fair, dear land,
The True North strong and free;
And stand on guard, O Canada,
We stand on guard for thee.
O Canada! O Canada!
O Canada! We stand on guard for thee.
O Canada! We stand on guard for thee.

From ESL in Canada teachers doing a Web Quest

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ESL in Canada Blog URL
http://eslincanada.blogspot.com/


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