when you think of engLand

[sniffa]

what theme song runs through your brain?

[Magrittes Pipe]

1. Once in every lifetime there comes a love like this.

And it's "Rule Brittania."

[tjwmason]

6. Actually it's Rule Britannia

Double n, single t.

[Magrittes Pipe]

10. Well, at least I got the first word right.

;)

[KitchenWitch]

54. John Philip Sousa's "Liberty Bell March"

AKA the Monty Python's Flying Circus theme song

[Rabrrrrrr]

2. Isn't it "Rule Brittania"? Anyway, that's the one for me.

[sniffa]

3. ah, probabLy

i updated.

[tjwmason]

4. Other - Jerusalem

And did those feet in ancient time
Walk upon England's mountains green
And was the Holy Lamb of God
On England's pleasant pasture seen
And did the countenance Divine,
Shine forth upon those clouded hill
And was Jerusalem builded here
Among those dark Satanic mills.

Bring me my bow of burning gold,
Bring me my arrows of desire,
Bring me my spear, oh clouds unfold,
Bring me my chariot of fire,
I will not cease from mental fight,
Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand,
'Till we have built Jerusalem,
In England's green and pleasant land.


It's got the most kicking tune to go with it.

The other options are mostly British rather than English.

[sniffa]

9. 'jerusaLem of goLd'

[Spider Jerusalem]

21. That's the one that comes to mind for me, too.

[tjwmason]

22. It has good progressive credentials too

The reference to 'dark Satanic mills' at the close of the first verse is pretty obviously related to the exploitation which came with the industrial revolution.

Then the desire to build 'Jerusalem' following on from that, making an improvement in the lives of the people living here.

[Spider Jerusalem]

29. Maybe it'll replace "God Save The Queen" as the national anthem...

once the royals go into the dustbin of history.

[tjwmason]

38. The Union would have to go as well as the monarchy

It is a specifically English song, rather than a British one. The Scots would rather die than sing it. That said, if the monarchy goes I can imagine that the union will too - we'd need an English national anthem and it would do very well.

Other possibilities are all far too vapid: 'Land of Hope and Glory' has fine sentiment but no depth. Then Rule Britannia and several others refer specifically to Britain.

[Spider Jerusalem]

42. Yes, I know...

and I was rather thinking that the Union mightn't long outlive the monarchy...I can see where devolution is probably headed.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

41. That was my first thought too

It's a wonderful tune. Too bad the words are so exclusively relevant to England.

[GregW]

46. Did someone say 'mattress' to Mr. Lambert?

</obscure Monty Python reference>

[tjwmason]

58. Let's all climb into tea chests n/t

[MrScorpio]

5. Don't those guys rule the waves?

Our are they too busy dealing with Oasis?

[Cannikin]

7. "Are you going to do the accent?" French & Saunders

French & Saunders
bop a doo-e-oooh

[northzax]

8. others- "Now Give Three Cheers"

from HMS Pinafore.

I am the monarch of the sea
the ruler of the Queen's Navee
who's praise Great Britain loudly chants...

[tjwmason]

11. Now you've got me confused

I was all happy with Jerusalem, but that's reminded me of another part of H.M.S. Pinafore "He is an Englishman".

[northzax]

14. it is a tough call

but "Three Cheers" comes to mind first for me. But "Englishman" is probably better.

[TyeDye75]

24. Thats one of the ones that came to me

[tjwmason]

12. Yet another - Song of Patriotic Prejudice by Flanders and Swann

The English, the English, the English are best:
I wouldn't give tuppence for all of the rest!
The rottenest bits of these islands of ours,
We've left in the hands of three unfriendly powers,
Examine the Irishman, Welshman or Scot,
you'll find he's a stinker or not.

The Scotsman is mean, as we 're all well aware,
And bony and blotchy and covered with hair,
He eats salted porridge, he works all the day,
And he hasn't got bishops to show him the way.

The English; the English, the English are best:
I wouldn't give tuppence for all of the rest!

The Irishman, now, our contempt is beneath,
He sleeps in his boots and he lies in his teeth,
He blows up policemen (or so I have heard),
And blames it on Cromwell and William the Third.

The English are noble, the English are nice,
And worth any other at double the price!

The Welshman's dishonest, he cheats when he can,
And little and dark, more like monkey than man,
He works underground with a lamp in his hat,
And he sings far too loud, far too often, and
FLA-A-A-T.

And crossing the Channel, one cannot say much,
For the French or the Spanish, the Danish or Dutch;
The Germans are German, the Russians are Red,
And the Greeks and Italians eat garlic in bed.

The English are moral, the English are good,
And clever and modest and misunderstood!

And all the world over, each nation's the same,
They've simply no notion of Playing the Game:
They argue with umpires; they cheer when they've won;
And they practise beforehand, which ruins the fun!

The English, the English, the English are best:
So up with the English, and down with the rest!

It's not that they're wicked or naturally bad ...
It's knowing they're FOREIGN that makes them so mad!
For the English are all that a nation should be,
And the flower of the English are Donald
(Michael!) and me!!

[muriel_volestrangler]

16. Trivia for DUers: Michael Flanders was Laura Flanders' father

and her sister Stephanie is the economics correspondent for BBC's Newsnight.

[smirkymonkey]

44. Positively Revolting, I Say!

You know, I think a lot of English people secretly (and some not so secretly) really believe that tripe.

[tjwmason]

53. Certainly not the writers

But we do have our own version of freepers - a much smaller group than in the U.S. though.

[Anarcho-Socialist]

13. Blackadder!

The sound of hoof beats 'cross the glade.
Good folk, lock up your son and daughter.
Beware the deadly flashing blade,
Unless you want to end up shorter.

Black Adder, Black Adder. He rides a pitch black steed.
Black Adder, Black Adder. He's very bad indeed.

Black. His gloves of finest mole.
Black. His codpiece made of metal.
His horse is blacker than a hole.
His pot is blacker than his kettle.

Black Adder, Black Adder. With many an cunning plan.
Black Adder, Black Adder. You horrid little man!

[fudge stripe cookays]

60. I've got a plan so crafty....

I could pin a tail on it and call it a weasel!

FSC

[underpants]

15. 'enery the eighth I am I am 'enery the eighth I am

:bounce:

[sniffa]

17. do you know the words to the 2nd verse?

[underpants]

18. Same as the first

I'm Henry the 8th, I am
Henry the 8th, I am, I am
I got married to the widow next door
She's been maried seven times before
And eveyone was an Henry
She wouldn't top a Willie nor a Sam
I'm her eight old man, I'm Henry
Henry the 8th I am I am
Henry the 8th I am.

second verse, same as the first

[TyeDye75]

25. Was that song written in America

because the only place Ive ever heard it is on the simpsons.

[Jeff in Cincinnati]

27. You're just too young

if you don't remember Herman's Hermits. I think that Peter Noone may have written that one himself.

[Kathy in Cambridge]

19. The Avengers theme

[tjwmason]

20. Mrs. Peels is as close to straight as I ever got n/t

[Kathy in Cambridge]

23. Gay men love Mrs. Peel, Straight Men and Women love Mrs. Peel

she was something!

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

26. I don't know, but I lie back.

:evilgrin:

[Lavender Brown]

40. LOL

This thread title brought me right back to my 19 Cent. English History courses. :)

[Arugula Latte]

45. Well, that's your womanly duty, afterall.

:D

[Orsino]

28. The NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET Theme

http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0000387/

[miss_kitty]

30. any Clash stuff

Depends on my mood

[CubsFan1982]

31. Ah, England.

Up until recently, I didn't know there were lyrics to Pomp and Circumstance! Mostly, this is what I think of when I think of the British Isles.

[Abelman]

35. Zounds!

Ringo is real goofy lookin!

[SOteric]

32. I think about a football (soccer) team and

how some charming British dude I find beguiling.

[DS1]

33. Fish & Chips - in newspaper - hopefully The Sun

Page 3 :D

[6000eliot]

34. Ironically,

the "Benny Hill" theme song is American. It's called "Yakety Sax" by Boots Randolf.

[billyskank]

36. Strangely enough, I think of "The Liberty Bell" by Sousa.

:D

[tjwmason]

39. As the Python theme? n/t

[billyskank]

50. Thrrrrrrpp!

[Arugula Latte]

37. "England Swings"

I do think of Rule Britannia, but I also think of this one, which, when I was a kid, was my impression of England besides the Beatles and old nursery rhymes:

ENGLAND SWINGS

England swings like a pendulum do
Bobbies on bicycles, two by two
Westminster Abbey, the tower of Big Ben
The rosy red cheeks of the little children

Now, if you huff and puff and you fin'lly save enough
Money up to take your family on a trip across the sea
Take a tip before you take your trip
Let me tell you where to go
Go to England, oh

England swings like a pendulum do
Bobbies on bicycles, two by two
Westminster Abbey, the tower of Big Ben
The rosy red cheeks of the little children

Mama's old pajamas and your papa's mustache,
Falling out the window sill, frolic in the grass,
Tryin' to mock the way they talk, fun but all in vain,
Gaping at the dapper men with derby hats and canes.

England swings like a pendulum do
Bobbies on bicycles, two by two
Westminster Abbey, the tower of Big Ben
The rosy red cheeks of the little children

England swings like a pendulum do
Bobbies on bicycles, two by two
Westminster Abbey, the tower of Big Ben
The rosy red cheeks of the little children

[Dark]

43. Beetle's 'Yellow Submarine'. Soundtrack to that same movie.

I was so high when I watched it, but it didn't make much sense. . .

[tinfoilinfor2005]

47. A Foggy Day in London Town...

Quick story...two weeks ago when I was in London I hopped the tube one evening for the heck of it and ended up walking through a neighborhood in Kensington. It was getting dark and suddenly the fog came in and it was misting, and I suddenly realized that I was humming this song. It was perfect.

[bridgit]

48. eng-a-lind swings...

like a pendulum do...

[two gun sid]

49. I think of the Battle of the Bogside and Bloody Sunday.

[billyskank]

51. And that's the theme tune to what?

[two gun sid]

61. I think it's the theme for Sinn Fein...

or maybe what I meant to say was 'Brits Out!'.

[realisticphish]

52. "IT'S"

da, da da, da daaa, da, da, da, *squish*

[malmapus]

57. Beat me to it!!!!

and now for something completly different

[Vektor]

55. Shopping!

Hellooo, London.

[Freebird12004]

56. A candle in the wind

Goodbye England's rose
May you ever grow in our hearts
You were the grace that placed itself
Where lives were torn apart
You called out to our country
And you whispered to those in pain
Now you belong in heaven
And the stars spell out your name

[CrownPrinceBandar]

59. "Heartland" by The The.....

Beneath the old iron bridges, across the victorian parks,
& all the frightened people running home before dark,
Past the Saturday morning cinema--
that lies crumbling to the ground,
& the piss stinking shopping centre in the new side of town.
I've come to smell the seasons change, & watch the city,
as the sun goes down again.

CHORUS
Here comes another winter, of long shadows & high hopes,
Here comes another winter, waitin for utopia,
waitin for hell to freeze over.

This is the land, where nothing changes,
the land of red buses & blue blooded babies,
This is the place, where pensioners are raped,

& the hearts are being cut, from the welfare state,
Let the poor drink the milk, while the rich eat the honey,
Let the bums count their blessings, while they count the money.

So many people, can't express what's on their minds,
Nobody knows them & nobody ever will,
Until their backs are broken & their dreams are stolen,
& they can't get what they want, then they're gonna get angry!
Well it ain't written in the papers, but its written on the walls
The way this country is divided to fall,
So the cranes are moving on the skyline--
Trying to knock down--this town
But the stains on the heartland, can never be removed,
from this country, that's sick, sad, and confused.

CHORUS

The ammunition's being passed, and the lords been praised,
But the wars on the televisions will never be explained,
All the bankers gettin sweaty, beneath their white collars,
As the pound in our pocket, turns into a dollar.

This is the 51st state--of the U. S. A.
(Repeat and fade.)
----------------------------------------------
Matt Johnson saw all this shit coming 20 years ago.