O Canada

"O Canada" is the national anthem of Canada.

Official English lyrics

: O Canada! Our home and native land!

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: True patriot love in all thy sons command.

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: With glowing hearts we see thee rise,

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: The True North strong and free!

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: From far and wide, O Canada,

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: We stand on guard for thee.

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: God keep our land glorious and free!

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: O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

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: O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

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N.B.: the line is true patriot love in all thy sons command, with no possessive apostrophe; otherwise put, "command (inspire) true patriot love in all thy sons". Also, the first word is "O" (used as a vocative, to apostrophize Canada), not the exclamation "oh".

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The line "The True North strong and free" is based on Alfred Lord Tennyson's description of Canada as "That True North whereof we lately heard" http://charon.sfsu.edu/tennyson/poems/tothequeen.shtml. In the context of Tennyson's poem, true means loyal or faithful.

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Two provinces have adopted Latin translations of phrases from the English lyrics as their mottos: Manitoba —Gloriosus et liber (glorious and free)— and Alberta —Fortis et liber (strong and free). Similarly, the motto of Canadian Forces Land Force Command is Vigilamus pro te (we stand on guard for thee).

Related Topics:
Latin - Manitoba - Alberta - Canadian Forces Land Force Command

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The original song has several additional verses, but these are rarely sung.

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