Spent my first 3 years of school in St. John's (where I was born) and we sang this at the end of every assembly in school. We had assembly every Tuesday and Thursday so it didn't take me long to learn the words.
Ode to Newfoundland: When sunrays crown thy pine-clad hills And Summer spreads her hand When silvern voices tune thy rills We love thee smiling land We love thee, we love thee, We love thee smiling land. When spreads thy cloak of shimm'ring white At Winter's stern command Thro' shortened day and starlit night We love thee frozen land We love thee, we love thee, We love thee frozen land. When blinding storm gusts fret thy shore And wild waves lash thy strand Thro' spindrift swirl and tempest roar We love thee wind-swept land We love thee, we love thee, We love thee wind-swept land. As loved our fathers, so we love Where once they stood we stand Their prayer we raise to heav'n above God guard thee Newfoundland God guard thee, God guard thee God guard thee Newfoundland. -Sir Cavendish Boyle
Maybe more is being read into this recording than what it actually is? In the 70's growing up in Newfoundland, this was sung at every school assembly. That's long after it joined Canada. It's about pride and cultural identity. I don't think it necessarily means separatism, which seems to be what is thought in some of the comments here.
I agree. Not separatism. Rather, commemoration of where came from to how we get to life comfortably now. Especially the Lost Generation of NL hearts in WWI which led to economic collapse and thus the need to revoke nationhood in favour of Canada. I wasn't here in the 70s with you but I think we agree that the cultural identity is cherished and will not be lost.
There are more problems in our province that could be solved if we were independent. We could deal with things in the Newfoundland way, and better protect our heritage, accent, culture, what have you. God Guard Thee Newfoundland!
i know these comments are from the 2010's and all, but i still want to reply regardless: if you ask me if such a possibility were to happen newfoundland would be better suited within the united kingdom like before 1949, but alas that shall never happen.
@@WelshAfrican Realistically if our leaders would actually be leaders we could get far more out of the province. It is 100% doable to become much better at self sustaining but it's like the people we've elected are afraid to actually do things. Well, unless they seem like a scam which means they've probably made off with a bunch of money for themselves. It would take some time but independence isn't more than 20 years away if done right. But you need to be able and willing to take decisive action and none of our leaders have been.
Wait, what! They went bankrupt paying for the royal newfoundland regiment in the great war and you are going to put them down for that? If an American can have an opinion on commonwealth matters, go bugger your self.
This is the first pro-traditional moment that I have seen from the CBC in a long time. We can usually count on the CBC for identity politics hatred instead these days.
It was a nice idea, but we ruined it for ourselves after WWI. There's no chance of it being successful now. Look at the cluster fuck that is our entire province failing to build a single dam. Imagine how we'd function as a nation.
They were a British Dominion that went bankrupt during the Great Depression. Britain bailed them out but they had to give up self government. After WW2 Britain was nearly bankrupt so they let Newfoundland vote to either join Canada (another British Dominion which was doing much better) or become independent. Newfoundland voted to join Canada by a very narrow margin.
