A Nation Once Again

A Nation Once Again

"A Nation Once Again" is a song, written in the early to mid-1840s by Thomas Osborne Davis (1814-1845). Davis was a founder of an Irish movement whose aim was the independence of Ireland.In 2002, "A Nation Once Again" was voted the world's most popular song according to a BBC World Service global poll of listeners.

The song is a prime example of the "Irish rebel music" sub-genre (though it does not celebrate fallen Irish freedom fighters by name, or cast aspersions on the British occupiers as so many rebel songs do). The song's narrator dreams of a time when Ireland will be, as the title suggests, a free land, with "our fetters rent in twain." The lyrics exhort, albeit with less vitriol than some rebel songs, Irishmen to stand up and fight for their land: "And righteous men must make our land a nation once again." It should be noted that this "rebel song" was in fact written by a Protestant.

It has been recorded by many Irish singers and groups, notably John McCormack, The Clancy Brothers, The Dubliners, The Wolfe Tones in 1972, (a group with clearly Republican leanings), the Poxy Boggards, and The Irish Tenors (John McDermott, Ronan Tynan, Anthony Kearns) and Sean Conway for a 2007 single.

Lyrics

:When boyhood's fire was in my blood:I read of ancient freemen,:For Greece and Rome who bravely stood,:Three hundred men and three men;:And then I prayed I yet might see:Our fetters rent in twain,:And Ireland, long a province, be.:A Nation once again!

"Chorus:"

"A Nation once again,"
"A Nation once again,"
"And lreland, long a province, be"
"A Nation once again!"

:And from that time, through wildest woe,:That hope has shone a far light,:Nor could love's brightest summer glow:Outshine that solemn starlight;:It seemed to watch above my head:In forum, field and fane,:Its angel voice sang round my head,:A Nation once again!

"(Chorus)"

:It whisper'd too, that freedom's ark:And service high and holy,:Would be profaned by feelings dark:And passions vain or lowly;:For, Freedom comes from God's right hand,:And needs a Godly train;:And righteous men must make our land:A Nation once again!

"(Chorus)"

:So, as I grew from boy to man,:I bent me to that bidding:My spirit of each selfish plan:And cruel passion ridding;:For, thus I hoped some day to aid,:Oh, can such hope be vain?:When my dear country shall be made:A Nation once again!

"(Chorus)"

Trivia

* A Nation Once Again is sung by the character, Paul's Grandpa (played by Wilfrid Brambell) in the 1964 film, A Hard Day's Night.

* The song is featured as background music and partially sung by Tommy Lee Jones in the 1994 film Blown Away.

* A Nation Once Again is sung in the movie H3 by Irish Republican prisoners after being beaten by police in their cells upon returning to their protest.

External links

* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/us/features/topten/ BBC News Service] : World's Top Ten


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • A Nation Once Again — es una canción, escrita alrededor de 1840 por Thomas Osborne Davis (1814 1845). Davis fue el fundador de un movimiento irlandés cuyo objetivo final era la independencia de Irlanda. Esta canción es el primer ejemplo del género de música rebelde… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Nation of Domination — The late 1997/early 1998 incarnation of the Nation. L R: Kama Mustafa, Faarooq, The Rock, D Lo Brown. Stable Members Faarooq (leader, 1996–1998) …   Wikipedia

  • Nation Party (Turkey, 1948) — This article is about the first Turkish political party named Nation Party . For later parties of that name, see Nation Party (disambiguation). The Nation Party (Turkish: Millet Partisi) was a conservative and nationalistic political party in… …   Wikipedia

  • Nation Party (Turkey) — The Nation Party ( tr. Millet Partisi ) is a political party in Turkey active from 1948 to 1953 and from 1962 to 1977.HistoryFormation and splitThe Nation Party was founded on July 19, 1948 by former Prime Minister and Chief of Staff Fevzi Çakmak …   Wikipedia

  • Nation constitutive (Royaume-Uni) — Carte des quatre nations constitutives du Royaume Uni : l Angleterre (en blanc), le Pays de Galles (en rouge), l Écosse (en bleu) et l Irlande du Nord (en jaune). Une nation constitutive ou pays constitutif (en anglais …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Oneida Indian Nation — Total population 1,000+ Regions with significant populations …   Wikipedia

  • once — /wuns/, adv. 1. at one time in the past; formerly: I was a farmer once; a once powerful nation. 2. a single time: We ate there just once. We go to a movie once a week. 3. even a single time; at any time; ever: If the facts once become known, it… …   Universalium

  • Nation state — For the ambiguities and specifications surrounding the terms nation, international, state, and country, see Nation. For the online video game, see Jennifer Government: NationStates. Part of the Politics series …   Wikipedia

  • Fire Nation — The Fire Nation is a collective term for a nation of people in the fictional universe of the Nickelodeon animated television series . One of the series , the Fire Nation is located near the planet s equator in the western hemisphere and comprises …   Wikipedia

  • Piscataway Indian Nation — The Piscataway Indian Nation is a non state, non federally recognized Native American tribal nation, which, at one time, was one of the most populous and powerful Native polities of the Chesapeake Bay region. By the early seventeenth century, the …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”