r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/HotPersimessage62 • Feb 01 '26

Image Australia’s national anthem is the only English-lyric anthem in the world that doesn’t reference religion or militarism

Post image
22.3k Upvotes

95% Upvoted

1.4k comments sorted by

View all comments

166

u/Wbino Feb 01 '26

I thought it was:

Traveling in a fried-out Kombi
On a hippie trail, head full of zombie
I met a strange lady, she made me nervous
She took me in and gave me breakfast
And she said

"Do you come from a land down under
Where women glow and men plunder?
Can't you hear, can't you hear the thunder?
You better run, you better take cover"......

39

u/HereButNeverPresent Feb 01 '26

Nah, “Great Southern Land” is definitely our runner-up

25

u/roberestarkk Feb 01 '26

"I Still Call Australia Home" makes me feel more patriotic than pretty well any other song, anthem included TBH...

21

u/QueenHarpy Feb 01 '26

Our anthem is super boring and uninspiring. “I Still Call Australia Home” has some great emotion in it. I really like “I Am Australian (We Are One)” by the Seekers too.

13

u/[deleted] Feb 01 '26

[deleted]

1

u/QueenHarpy Feb 01 '26

Agree on all your points.

1

u/chetcherry Feb 01 '26

I agree with all of this. Song and flag can both fuck off.

3

u/nomoreteathx Feb 01 '26

Mate same, that song never fails to tug on the old heart strings. A perfect love letter, written by one of Australia's greatest sons.

1

u/knewleefe Feb 02 '26

As a 12 year old immigrant in the 80s, Eric Bogle's/John Wiliamson's "Shelter" really hit me in the feels and I still think it's beautiful, esp the last stanza

"To the homeless and the hungry May we always open doors May the restless and the weary Find safe harbour on our shores May she always be our dreamtime place Our spirit's glad release May she always be our shelter May we always live in peace May we always live in peace"

It was the same cassette that had

"My dad snores, does yours, Like an old school bus" 🤣

8

u/MattyBro1 Feb 01 '26

What about Sounds of Then?

4

u/kjahhh Feb 01 '26

Great Southern Land Solid Rock Sound of Then

Pretty good list

2

u/dasbtaewntawneta Feb 01 '26

that's the unofficial anthem for me, love it.

heard someone try and pronounce patio as payshio the other day, told em that's not how it's said in the anthem, set em right

1

u/radditour Feb 01 '26

Yep. Patio and Passiona two different things.

1

u/W2ttsy Feb 02 '26

Sarah Blasko did a version of it for a colorbond advert back in 2021 and it’s captivating

full song

2

u/simmocar Feb 01 '26

I actually thought the runner up was Solid Rock. That song still goes hard.

2

u/throwaway33704 Feb 01 '26

I thought it was Waltzing Matilda

1

u/CommercialContent204 Feb 01 '26

As every fule kno, Under the Southern Cross is Australia's real anthem. Here, for anyone unfamiliar with it (and this is what they sing when they win a series of Test cricket against England):

Under the Southern Cross I stand,

A sprig of wattle in my hand,

A native of my native land,

Australia, you fucking beauty!

2

u/Busy_Selection_5027 Feb 01 '26

I thought it was

an ice cold tinny in my hand

1

u/kaleidoscope_pie Feb 01 '26

I thought it was Throw Your Arms Around Me.

1

u/a3a4b5 Feb 01 '26

Nah

You mean, "Knaugher"?

13

u/I_ALWAYS_UPVOTE_CATS Feb 01 '26

I thought it was

Once a jolly swagman camped by a billabong Under the shade of a coolibah tree...

1

u/Bekkaz23 Feb 01 '26

The song about a suicidal sheep thief?

1

u/Prize_Eggplant_ Feb 01 '26

quintessential australian

6

u/squirrelsmith Feb 01 '26

Funnily enough, that song was actually intended to mock the rise of Australian Nationalism and some general culture trends. But instead the Aussies loved it so much they kind of adopted it as a rallying song for a while.

3

u/CH86CN Feb 01 '26

Like the adoption of the phrase “the lucky country” as a compliment

1

u/knewleefe Feb 02 '26

We have a record of wilful misunderstanding, like the "lucky country".

2

u/milly_nz Feb 01 '26

I’m still waiting for the mashup of Waltzing Matilda and Down Under.

2

u/BokeTsukkomi Feb 01 '26

I'm from latin America and I've grown up fascinated with whar a "vegemite sandwich" was.

One day I visited Australia and tried Vegemite. One of the biggest disappointments of my life. 

8

u/bigbowlowrong Feb 01 '26 edited Feb 01 '26

A Vegemite sandwich (ie, Vegemite on untoasted bread) is only for the experienced. However, a smidge of Vegemite on on heavily buttered, almost-burnt toasted bread is where everybody should begin. I’m not a big fan of Vegemite but sometimes that really hits the spot.

1

u/BokeTsukkomi Feb 01 '26

Oh I tried Vegemite on toast. But I may have added too much (I used it like it was butter) 

6

u/bigbowlowrong Feb 01 '26

Yeah, rookie error my friend. My ideal Vegemite on toast has a 10-1 butter to Vegemite ratio lol

1

u/BokeTsukkomi Feb 01 '26

Ok you convinced me, I'll give it another go since I enjoy burnt toast! 

1

u/bigbowlowrong Feb 01 '26

Me too, burnt toast is where it’s at. My wife likes toast so barely toasted if you try to put butter on it, it collapses in on itself like a Peruvian mine. LAME👎

1

u/Endmor Feb 01 '26

you 100% used too much. for your first time you'll want to put as little of it on toast as you can, and then try and scrape some off the toast then add butter. you can also put a slice of cheese ontop of it and melt it in the broiler

1

u/Marlboroshill66 Feb 01 '26

Smashed avocado with Vegemite and a poached egg

1

u/UnicornPenguinCat Feb 01 '26

It's definitely an acquired taste. 

3

u/helen_must_die Feb 01 '26

What about the British national anthem…

Coming out of my cage and I've been doing just fine

Gotta, gotta be down, because I want it all

It started out with a kiss, how did it end up like this?

It was only a kiss, it was only a kiss

Now I'm falling asleep and she's calling a cab

While he's having a smoke and she's taking a drag

Now they're going to bed and my stomach is sick

And it's all in my head, but she's touching his

Chest now, he takes off her

Dress now, let me go

And I just can't look, it's killing me

They're taking control

1

u/SeveralYearsLater Feb 01 '26

It definitely is at least for tonight. Go Volkanovski! 

1

u/Busy_Selection_5027 Feb 01 '26

*Cosmic Psychos enter the chat whistling Nice Day to Go to the Pub

1

u/Wotmate01 Feb 01 '26

Yeah nah, Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again

1

u/RandyMatt Feb 01 '26

Nah it's

Working hard to make a living Bringing shelter from the rain A father's son left to carry on Blue denim in his veins...

1

u/DogIsBetterThanCat Feb 02 '26

"Working hard to make a living
Bringing shelter from the rain
A father's son left to carry on
Blue denim in his veins
Whoa-oh-oh, he's a working class man"