Is the chosen English rugby anthem appropriate do you think?

[NothingWrong]

To me, it's an emotional song, about God really (coming for to carry me home). England has reduced it to bringing home a prize. Apart from cultural appropriation, is it appropriate for England to use a sort of Gospel song sung by black slaves as their rugby anthem?

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swing_Low,_Sweet_Chariot

Here's a link to its origins btw.

Personally I think it's arrogant of them to use this song in the way they do. I'm not looking for a fight! Rugby fans are generally respectful, so I'm just wondering A whether English fans know the origins of the song and B whether anyone else feels it's a little 'off'?

Every single Irish person I know, knows the general gist of what our National Anthem is about. Ask your relatives.

And then ask every English person you see singing Swing Low Sweet Chariot, whether they know the general gist of what that song is about.

Roll on a united Ireland.

@redshifter, I think you have an unusually ignorant extended family. Even for those whose Irish is poor, the meaning of the lyrics of ‘Amhrán na bhFiann’ is generally taught at school, as you’d expect, plus there’s a well-known English version (which actually predates the Irish one).

Someone I know who is learning it in adulthood — an immigrant acquiring citizenship — says she’s been trying to sing it to herself waiting for a bus and had lots of help.

I am answering your original questions. I’m not really a “fan” of rugby. But it’s a well known song and no I had no idea of its origins

Roll on a united Ireland Let's just get through Twickenham in a fortnight!

Don't.... Just don't

Between Brexit and the provos in government I think I've had enough national suicide for a lifetime

@NothingWrong I don’t think this actually bothers you ,I think you just wanted to start an argument for arguments sake and to try and sound superior and ‘educated’
The Anti-English thing really is a favourite pastime of late

Nothing like an educated Irish person to cheer us all up.

I'm Irish myself.
I know and understand the history.
We were all taught the National Anthem in school. We knew off by heart at a very young age. We were not shown any English Lyrics. Mind you our schools were useless. My family are not ignorant. I just find it very common among for Irish people to not know the English lyrics at all., Even amongst my Irish friends here in England who are all well educated and intelligent.
I first took an interest in the English lyrics when I was doing some research into Kathleen Behan. I found it interesting so asked around and discussed it with many people.
Nearly all English people I know, only know 2 or 3 lines of GSTQ and they dont like the song anyway, they think it is a dirge and they are nearly all republican atheists so dont like the lyrics either. Most would really like an anthem for England.
I have always liked Blake's poem "Jerusalem". Very well known. I was very surprised a few of you had never heard of it. The song version with Elgar's music is very famous. It was sometimes associated with public school and was the anthem of the W.I. but more recently started to become an anthem of the English left. Who called for it to be the English National Anthem. Some people said it wouldnt be inclusive in a now more diverse England, with its talk about Jesus.
That is the problem with so many anthems. They were mostly written a long time ago and don't fit into today's world.
Maybe it is best if people dont know and dont analyse the lyrics and history of an anthem and just appreciate the sentiment of the song and what it means for the people singing it.
England need someone to write a new song but that is very difficult to do when you need to include everybody and not offend anybody. Just like Coulter explained in that interesting clip OP posted. Thanks for that.
That why I think he did an excellent job in writing "Irelands Call". Maybe England should ask Phil.

Anyway I found this discussion interesting, so I am glad you started it OP

You got me there Fizzy.

I sat down for a week and thought 'how can I piss the English off?'

Thanks @redshifter for listening to what I posted. It provided more context to what I was talking about, but I think you're the only one who watched it. It's difficult indeed. I get that English people just think it's a rugby song now, so I guess I'll let them off!

Where I grew up in Ireland we hardly new rugby existed. We sort of found it elitist. We played football and hurling at school and soccer at home.
So I never had any interest in it but since coming to live in a very Rugby Union area in England have started to like it. I enjoy watching the matches with a lot of English friends and definitely none of them are arrogant, ridiculous or simpleton, or the other things they were called in what I think was an absolutely disgusting horrible post by OP.
She should be ashamed of herself.
She really does paint us Irish in a bad light posting offensive rubbish like that.

Jeez. It's only 9 in the morning. You're calling me absolutely disgusting and horrible?

'She' is the cat's mother.

'She' is me.

Don't 'she' me on my own thread. I'm here.

Do your lovely English friends sing Swing Low Sweet Chariot?

And do not say that 'she' paints Ireland in a bad light. I posted nothing offensive. Challenging perhaps, but not offensive.

@redshifter Are you Northern Irish by an chance?

I'm in a choir we sing swing low and lots of other spirituals all the time. I don't see the issue, just as I wouldn't see the issue with an African choir singing English folk tunes.

Swing low is just a song sung by rugby fans on the terraces it is not official. If God Save the Queen is not sung it is usually Jerusalem that replaces it, a fine English hymn.

Do your lovely English friends sing Swing Low Sweet Chariot?

Yes. And so do my lovely English DC. Who also sing and know all the words to "The Soldier's Song" and even "The Men Behind The Wire" FFS.
They are definitely not ridiculous, arrogant simpleton either.
They used to love supporting Ireland as well but started doing so less after many "plastic" and "westbrit" comments they received from some Irish.

Are you Northern Irish by an chance? ffs typical

I am from Dublin. And from a very republican family. Iykwim

It's a 'rousing' song for sure
Oh, and here I was all this time thinking it (Fields of Athenry) is a bloody awful dirge. La Marseillaise, now: that's rousing.
,

We shall also be singing Trelawney..... now that is rousing

Come out ye Black & Tans is fairly rousing too.

redshifter Sir Hubert Parry wrote the music for Jerusalem. Elgar wrote the music for Land of Hope and Glory which I think is a better anthem for England.

The lyrics for Jerusalem refer to a very old legend that the uncle of Jesus arrived in England. Not something that really relates to how we are now.

Might this work as a new song?

Thanks *mophead"
Of course it was Parry. I dont know how I made that mistake.

I always thought the legend was that Jesus himself was brought to England, when he was young, by his uncle. And visited Glastonbury. I might have that wrong though. It is years since I read about it.

Billy Connelly once suggested that England should use the Archers theme as their sporting anthem, just sung using la la la la la la la, la la la la la laaaaa

I think he has a point
But what would I know, I’m Scottish