O Canada 1908 English Lyrics

These are the 1908 lyrics by Robert Stanley Weir that I transcribed for timings in the "O Canada: Images of Yesteryear" slide show. They are a world apart from the rendition we know today as the national anthem.

Note: This is small video file of the original, used because the upload was done on dial-up.

Although "O Canada" has been been around since 1880, it was not adopted as the national anthem until 1980. The first English lyrics were written in 1906, and the lyrics sung here are from an 1908 rendition by Robert Stanley Weir - it sounds quite different to the English rendition sung today. The song also sounds more like a hymn in this recording with its rather archaic lyrics in some places, although of interest to note is the lack of an explicit reference to any deity as in later versions. (The "thou" in "Thou dost in us command" is actually referring to Canada itself.)

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Music

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• 1908
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