National Anthem Comparison
United Kingdom vs Liechtenstein
3
Shared themes
✗
Different moods
105
105 years apart
✓
Same continent
United Kingdom
God Save the King
Comparison Analysis
United Kingdom and Liechtenstein, both Europe nations, take distinct approaches to their national anthems. United Kingdom's "God Save the King" was written in 1745, while Liechtenstein's "High Above the Young Rhine" dates to 1850.
Both anthems share themes of monarchy, god / faith and love of homeland. United Kingdom additionally explores hope, while Liechtenstein also touches on nature and unity.
The emotional tones differ: United Kingdom's anthem is majestic, while Liechtenstein's is prayerful.
United Kingdom's anthem predates Liechtenstein's by 105 years, having been written in 1745 compared to 1850.
Shared themes
United Kingdom
👑 Monarchy ✝ God / Faith ❤ Love of homeland 🌅 Hope
Liechtenstein
🌿 Nature ✝ God / Faith ❤ Love of homeland 👑 Monarchy 🤝 Unity
Shared themes:
👑 Monarchy ✝ God / Faith ❤ Love of homeland
Metadata
| United Kingdom | Liechtenstein | |
|---|---|---|
| Written | 1745 | 1850 |
| Adopted | 1745 | 1963 |
| Lyricist | Unknown (traditionally attributed to Henry Carey) | Attributed to Jakob Josef Jauch (1850s); 1963 revision |
| Composer | Unknown | Unknown (same melody as God Save the King) |
| Language | en | de |
| Region | Northern Europe | Western Europe |
Lyrics Side by Side
United Kingdom
God Save the King
Original
God save our gracious King,
Long live our noble King,
God save the King:
Send him victorious,
Happy and glorious,
Long to reign over us:
God save the King.
O Lord our God arise,
Scatter his enemies,
And make them fall:
Confound their politics,
Frustrate their knavish tricks,
On Thee our hopes we fix:
God save us all.
Thy choicest gifts in store,
On him be pleased to pour;
Long may he reign:
May he defend our laws,
And ever give us cause
With heart and voice to sing,
God save the King!
Not in this land alone,
But be God's mercies known
From shore to shore:
Lord make the nations see
That men should brothers be,
And form one family
The wide world o'er
Liechtenstein
Oben am jungen Rhein
Original
Oben am jungen Rhein
Lehnet sich Liechtenstein
An Alpenhöh'n.
Dies liebe Heimatland,
Das teure Vaterland,
Hat Gottes weise Hand
Für uns erseh'n.
Hoch lebe Liechtenstein,
Blühend am jungen Rhein,
Glücklich und treu.
Hoch leb' der Fürst vom Land,
Hoch unser Vaterland,
Durch Bruderliebe Band
Vereint und frei.
Translation
Up above the young Rhine
Liechtenstein rests
On Alpine heights.
This dear homeland,
The precious fatherland,
God's wise hand
Has chosen for us.
Long live Liechtenstein,
Blossoming on the young Rhine,
Happy and true.
Long live the Prince of the land,
Long live our fatherland,
Through the bond of brotherly love
United and free.
Interesting facts
United Kingdom
- 1. The tune is still used for Liechtenstein's national anthem and Norway's royal anthem; it once served Prussia and the German Emperor ('Heil dir im Siegerkranz'), the Russian Empire (1816-1833) and Switzerland (until 1961), and in the United States it carries the patriotic song 'My Country, 'Tis of Thee'
- 2. Around 1745 an extra verse praying that Field Marshal Wade would 'Rebellious Scots to crush' was briefly in use; it was soon abandoned and was not part of the song when it became accepted as the national anthem in the 1780s and 1790s
- 3. As is customary when a king succeeds a queen, the words changed from 'Queen' to 'King' after Elizabeth II's death in 2022, for the first time in over 70 years
Liechtenstein
- 1. Uses the same melody as the British 'God Save the King', making it one of several anthems worldwide that share this tune.
- 2. The 1963 revision by the Landtag removed the reference to the 'German Rhine' in favour of the 'young Rhine' and cut the song down to two stanzas, producing the text that is official today.
- 3. The authorship is only attributed: the priest Jakob Josef Jauch is traditionally named as the author of the 1850s text, but no document settles the question.
Listen
United Kingdom
Liechtenstein
