Sweden National Anthem: English Translation, Original Lyrics And History

Sally Polly March 06, 2023 | 07:23

Swedish national anthem and Swedish have a special relationship. They even sing it during private motto parties and festivities, called sittnings, and, of course, on midsummer. Take a look at the original lyrics, English translation, and history of the Anthem.

What Is The Sweden National Anthem. Photo: Hej Sweden

"Du gamla, du fria" (English: "Thou ancient, Thou free") is the national anthem of Sweden. It was originally named "Sång till Norden" ("Song to the North"), but the incipit has since been adopted as the title.

The Swedish national anthem – called “Sveriges nationalsång” in Sweden – is not only sung at sportevents like the Olympic games or games of the national football team. Swedes have a special relationship with their national anthem. They even sing it during private motto-parties and festivities, called sittnings, and, of course, on midsummer.

Take a look at the history, English translation and original lyrics of Sweden National Anthem.

History of The Sweden National Anthem

Although though the Swedish constitution doesn't specifically mention a national anthem, "Du gamla, du fria" is widely recognized and often played at official occasions and sporting competitions. It wasn't widely accepted as a song until the 1930s, yet its origins can be traced back to the 1890s. The song's de facto status as national anthem began in 1938, when the Swedish public service radio company Sveriges Radio began playing it in the evenings at the end of broadcast.

Although while it's commonly believed that it was officially recognized as the national anthem in 1866, that's not the case. In 1893, the song received a measure of official recognition when King Oscar II rose to his feet as it was played. A committee of the Riksdag deemed it "unnecessary" to grant the song official status in 2000. The committee reached the decision that the song should remain the national anthem because it was chosen by the people and not the government.

Lyricist Richard Dybeck composed the song's first version in 1844 to a tune based on a traditional Swedish ballad called "Kärestans död" (Death of the beloved). Ballads of this type are designated as D 280 in The Types of the Scandinavian Medieval Ballad, while the Västmanland variety that Dybeck copied is designated as SMB 133 G. By the turn of the 1840s, Rosa Wretman made a recording of it. Dybeck included both the traditional text and his own new version, "Sg till Norden" (Song to/of the North), in his publications Folk-lore I and Runa, respectively, in 1845.

First written by Dybeck himself in the late 1850s as "Thou old, Thou hale," the opening lines were later modified to "Du gamla, du fria" ("Thou old, Thou free"). While the song had been sung with "Du gamla, du friska" since its publication in many songbooks in 1900, a clergyman who knew Dybeck seized the chance to advise the performer most closely identified with the song, opera singer Carl Fredrik Lundqvist [sv], of the alteration. After that moment, the "friska" arrangement was no longer included in songbooks, however a recording from 1905 featuring the arrangement survives to this day. Edvin Kallstenius, a Swedish composer, orchestrated the song in 1933.

By the turn of the twentieth century, many people found the song inappropriate for use as the nation's anthem. From the 1890s on, it was published in songbooks under the "patriotic songs" heading, while it was occasionally released under the "folk music" label up until the 1920s. A competition to compose a national anthem was organized in 1899. Although it prompted Verner von Heidenstam to pen "Sverige," the country still does not have a new national anthem.

Written in the spirit of Scandinavism, which was prominent at the time, the original two poems include no overtly patriotic language or themes (Norden in general refers to the Nordic countries in Swedish, Norwegian and Danish). Several people added lyrics to the song to make it more "Swedish" as it began to acquire an informal status as the national anthem. Following the third verse written by Lundqvist, which begins "Jag älskar dig Sverige" (I love thee, Sweden), come four verses written by Frans sterblom [sv] beginning "Jag älskar min hembygd" ("I adore my native territory") and two verses written by Louise Ahlén [Wikidata] in 1910. However, these words are not officially recognized as part of the anthem, are not widely published, and are rarely if ever sung.

What are the lyrics to Sweden’s national anthem in English?

Thou ancient, Thou free, Thou mountainous north

Thou quiet, Thou joyful [and] fair!

I greet thee, loveliest land upon earth,

Thy sun, Thy sky, Thy climes green.

Thou thronest on memories of great olden days,

When honoured Thy name flew across the earth,

I know that Thou art and wilt remain what thou werest,

Yes, I want to live, I want to die in the North.

What are the lyrics to Sweden’s national anthem?

Du gamla, Du fria, Du fjällhöga nord

Du tysta, Du glädjerika sköna!

Jag hälsar Dig, vänaste land uppå jord,

Din sol, Din himmel, Dina ängder gröna.

Du tronar på minnen från fornstora dar,

då ärat Ditt namn flög över jorden.

Jag vet att Du är och förblir vad du var.

Ja, jag vill leva jag vill dö i Norden.

What makes Sweden's anthem special

Richard Dybeck composed Sweden's national anthem in 1844. Yet, the Swedish parliament has never recognized it as the country's official national anthem. Although though it is performed at state visits and other national events, it is not a national anthem.

Swedes are not embarrassed to sing their national anthem at any opportunity.

Zlatan's version of the Swedish national anthem

Swedish soccer great Zlatan Ibrahimovic was featured in a commercial campaign for Volvo a few years back. The video has him reciting (or singing) the Swedish national anthem, with one minor modification at the end: instead of the line "I want to die in the North," he says "I wan to die in Sweden" (Jag wil dö I Sverige).

Lyric videos of Swedish National Anthem

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