Length: 73 words
Anthem lyrics (use the arrow on the left to collapse this section):
Forged from the love of liberty,
In the fires of hope and prayer,
With boundless faith in our Destiny,
We solemnly declare,
Side by side we stand,
Islands of the blue Caribbean Sea,
This our Native Land,
We pledge our lives to Thee,
Here every creed and race finds an equal place,
And may God bless our Nation,
Here every creed and race finds an equal place,
And may God bless our Nation.
Historical context:
Composer Patrick Stanislaus “Pat” Castagne originally authored the lyrics to this song as part of a contest to determine the anthem of the West Indies Federation. The Federation was a political association of then-territories of British West Indies (what are now the independent nations of Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago, as well as the British Overseas Territories of Anguilla, the Cayman Islands, Montserrat, and the Turks and Caicos Islands) from 1958 to 1962.Although Castagne was unsuccessful in this attempt, he triumphed a few years later when Trinidad and Tobago declared its independence in 1962. When its authorities held a contest to determine the independent nation’s anthem, he resubmitted the piece with a few edits and won.
Castagne subsequently served as a diplomat for Trinidad and Tobago in London, a role in which he was able to promote West Indian musical talent in the United Kingdom.
Performance: