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Oh, Oh Canada
Date Posted: 3/5/2010 11:05:00 AM -
The trouble in messing with tradition is that you can’t possibly get it right. Case in point is the brouhaha surrounding the tentative plan to ‘tweak’ the national anthem to make it more inclusive.
I understand the rationale of the Conservative government in suggesting a return to the original version, "True patriot love thou dost in us command." They probably think it’s safer to go back to what was original rather than try the Sisyphean task of re-writing the anthem in a way that will satisfy all Canadians. Not that Conservatives are usually so sensitive to what Canadians want but I digress.
I tried singing the new/old “O Canada” version while sitting here in Florida on my lanai gazing out at the swaying palms. It felt slightly off – maybe even treasonous - so I went inside and sang it while staring at a pile of Muskoka Magazines. Slightly better but the problem isn’t the context. The problem is that singing the jumble of consonants just feels awkward and I don’t think it’s something that will get better on the replay. I think the anthem got its 1914 re-write from the author for the same reason.
Many people - including me - have dealt with the “in all thy sons” issue their own way for many years. When we sing “O Canada” we sing a slightly altered version – some call it progressive – that leaves out sons but doesn’t force us to jump linguistic hurdles. We sing, "True patriot love in all of us command." Easy breezy.
It doesn’t solve the issue of female exclusion in the song that should speak to all Canadians. But in reality, can any anthem do that without getting so unwieldy that it becomes just plain annoying? My fear is that in focusing on a relatively (I acknowledge that it’s not minor to many women) minor issue that we become distracted from the big issues of the day. Mmmm…..shades of a Conservative conspiracy theory…..maybe that’s the intent. Think about it. Really.
During the recent Winter Olympics did our hearts swell any less with pride when we heard the strains of the current version of “O Canada” wafting over the Vancouver/Whistler site?
And let’s face it; at least we’re not Americans with their notoriously difficult-to-sing anthem that is almost impossible to warble without sounding like you are being strangled. Perhaps no other rendition has been more derided than Roseanne Barr's hideous caterwauling at a San Diego Padres game in 1990. See? Doesn’t leaving well enough alone seem like a good idea now?
COMMENTS
Date Posted: 3/5/2010 11:05:00 AM -
The trouble in messing with tradition is that you can’t possibly get it right. Case in point is the brouhaha surrounding the tentative plan to ‘tweak’ the national anthem to make it more inclusive.
I understand the rationale of the Conservative government in suggesting a return to the original version, "True patriot love thou dost in us command." They probably think it’s safer to go back to what was original rather than try the Sisyphean task of re-writing the anthem in a way that will satisfy all Canadians. Not that Conservatives are usually so sensitive to what Canadians want but I digress.
I tried singing the new/old “O Canada” version while sitting here in Florida on my lanai gazing out at the swaying palms. It felt slightly off – maybe even treasonous - so I went inside and sang it while staring at a pile of Muskoka Magazines. Slightly better but the problem isn’t the context. The problem is that singing the jumble of consonants just feels awkward and I don’t think it’s something that will get better on the replay. I think the anthem got its 1914 re-write from the author for the same reason.
Many people - including me - have dealt with the “in all thy sons” issue their own way for many years. When we sing “O Canada” we sing a slightly altered version – some call it progressive – that leaves out sons but doesn’t force us to jump linguistic hurdles. We sing, "True patriot love in all of us command." Easy breezy.
It doesn’t solve the issue of female exclusion in the song that should speak to all Canadians. But in reality, can any anthem do that without getting so unwieldy that it becomes just plain annoying? My fear is that in focusing on a relatively (I acknowledge that it’s not minor to many women) minor issue that we become distracted from the big issues of the day. Mmmm…..shades of a Conservative conspiracy theory…..maybe that’s the intent. Think about it. Really.
During the recent Winter Olympics did our hearts swell any less with pride when we heard the strains of the current version of “O Canada” wafting over the Vancouver/Whistler site?
And let’s face it; at least we’re not Americans with their notoriously difficult-to-sing anthem that is almost impossible to warble without sounding like you are being strangled. Perhaps no other rendition has been more derided than Roseanne Barr's hideous caterwauling at a San Diego Padres game in 1990. See? Doesn’t leaving well enough alone seem like a good idea now?
COMMENTS
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