Australia
Advance Australia Fair
1878
1984
Peter Dodds McCormick
Peter Dodds McCormick
🌿 Nature 🤝 Unity 🌾 Prosperity |
Context
Written by Peter Dodds McCormick, a Scottish-born composer, in the late 1870s. It only became the official anthem in 1984 after a national plebiscite chose it over 'Waltzing Matilda,' 'God Save the Queen,' and 'Song of Australia.' In 2021, the second line was changed from 'for we are young and free' to 'for we are one and free' to acknowledge that Aboriginal Australians have inhabited the continent for over 65,000 years.
Lyrics
Australians all let us rejoice,
For we are one and free;
We've golden soil and wealth for toil;
Our home is girt by sea;
Our land abounds in nature's gifts
Of beauty rich and rare;
In history's page, let every stage
Advance Australia Fair.
In joyful strains then let us sing,
Advance Australia Fair.
Translations are non-official and intended to convey meaning, not replace originals
Interesting facts
- • Many Australians wanted 'Waltzing Matilda' as their anthem, a song about a sheep thief who drowns himself rather than be arrested
- • The 2021 lyric change from 'young' to 'one' acknowledged that Australia is home to the world's oldest continuous civilization
- • Until 1984, 'God Save the Queen' was the national anthem, and 'Advance Australia Fair' was merely a patriotic song