Bahamas National Anthem
March On, Bahamaland
1969
1973
Timothy Gibson
Timothy Gibson
✝ God / Faith 🤝 Unity ❤ Love of homeland 🌅 Hope |
Key Facts
- 1. Gibson also wrote, with Clement Bethel, the music of the Bahamas' national song, 'God Bless Our Sunny Clime', whose words are by Rev. Philip Rahming
- 2. The Bahamas consists of 700 islands and 2,400 cays, but only about 30 of the islands are inhabited
- 3. The anthem came out of a competition for the words of a national anthem ahead of independence. Gibson entered the words and music of a song he had written in 1969, and both were accepted: 'so appropriate were the words, so well suited was the music', Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Hanna told Parliament
Bahamas National Anthem Lyrics
Lift up your head to the rising sun, Bahamaland;
March on to glory your bright banners waving high.
See how the world marks the manner of your bearing!
Pledge to excel through love and unity.
Pressing onward, march together to a common loftier goal;
Steady sunward, tho' the weather hide the wide and treacherous shoal.
Lift up your head to the rising sun, Bahamaland,
'Til the road you've trod lead unto your God, March On, Bahamaland.
Translations are non-official and intended to convey meaning, not replace originals
Analysis
EditorialWritten and composed by Timothy Gibson, the anthem was adopted upon the Bahamas' independence from the United Kingdom on July 10, 1973. The anthem reflects optimism about the new nation's future and calls on citizens to march forward together in unity toward shared goals.
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Sources & References
- National Anthem of The Bahamas: March On, Bahamaland . Government of The Bahamas
- National Symbols: March On Bahamaland . Embassy of The Bahamas, Washington, D.C.
Source & Review
- Source status
- Official source verified
- Translation
- AI-assisted working translation
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- Nationalia
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