Official Lyrics
The Crown-in-Council established set lyrics for "O Canada" in Canada's two official languages, as well as in Inuktitut. There is also a commonly sung bilingual version which combines the English and French lyrics. The lyrics are as follows:
Official English | Official French | Inuktitut (unofficial) |
O Canada! |
Ô Canada! |
ᐆ ᑲᓇᑕ! |
Bilingual Version (unofficial) | Translation: | Transliteration: |
O Canada! |
O Canada! |
Uu Kanata! |
It has been noted that the opening theme of "O Canada" bears a strong resemblance to the "March of the Priests" from the opera The Magic Flute, composed in 1791 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and that Lavallée's melody was inspired by Mozart's tune. The line "The True North strong and free" is based on Alfred, Lord Tennyson's description of Canada as "that true North, whereof we lately heard / A strain to shame us". In the context of Tennyson's poem "To the Queen", the word "true" means "loyal" or "faithful".
The lyrics and melody of "O Canada" are both in the public domain, a status unaffected by the trademarking of the phrases "with glowing hearts" and "des plus brillants exploits" for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Two provinces have adopted Latin translations of phrases from the English lyrics as their mottos: Manitoba— Gloriosus et Liber ("Glorious and Free")— and Alberta— Fortis et Liber ("Strong and Free").
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