Here is a compilation of national songs of Guyana, as well as other patriotic songs or songs by famous Guyanese which are not necessarily classified as a national song. These include the National Anthem, Guyana the Free, On the Banks of the Kako River, My Native Land, and A Poet’s Prayer.
The National Anthem of Guyana
Words by A. L. Luker
Music by R. C. G. Potter
Dear land of Guyana, of rivers and plains,
Made rich by the sunshine, and lush by the rains,
Set gem-like and fair between mounts and sea-
Your children salute you. dear land of the free.
Green land of Guyana, our heroes of yore,
Both bondsman and free, laid their bones on your shore,
This soil so they hallowed, and from them are we,
All sons of one mother, Guyana the free
Great land of Guyana, diverse though our strains,
We are born of their sacrifice, heirs of their pains,
And ours is the glory their eyes did not see –
One Land of six peoples, united and free.
Dear Land of Guyana, to you will we give
Our homage, our service each day that we live;
God guard you, great Mother, and make us to be
More worthy our heritage – land of the free.
Guyana The Free
Valerie Rodway
Guyana, Guyana, this fair land of ours
Has broken the bondage of far distant powers,
We love you Guyana from high land to sea,
And pray God make worthy your children to be.
Chorus:
All hail to Guyana, our country now free,
One people, one nation, one destiny,
We pledge every effort, we’ll cherish this earth
And make here a paradise – Land of our birth.
No rich El Dorado has ever been found
Though many have ended their lives on this ground,
Our labour in factory, in office and field
Will give us the wealth and the full harvest’s yield.
With purpose and vigour we’ll carve our own fate
Unmoved by distraction, prejudice and hate,
Together we’ll strive for our new nation’s goal,
Inspired by goodwill, a kinship of soul.
ON THE BANKS OF THE KAKO RIVER
Words and Music by Walter E Hewick
Steal away, steal away to dreamland
Where the Kako and the Kukui kiss.
View the forms caressing on the sand
While the Partang and the Mazuni hiss.
Hear the murmur of the mighty Kako
See brown kids “woodskin” down to ‘Raima
Like pilgrims to glory and wonder
They seek the giant heights of Guyana.
CHORUS
Away to mighty Kako where
In petal softness, waters gently foam
See the palm trees sway in splendor
Where lolling lovers sigh and roam.
My Native Land
A. Cossou
Oh I care not that others rave over fair lands afar,
Where silvern lakes and placid streams mirror the evening star;
I care not though their wealth be great, their scenery be grand,
For none so fair as can compare with my own native land.
Their sylvan vales and rippling brooks may charm me when I roam,
But what of that? No brooks and vales can steal my love of home;
Where I in childhood used to play, and where the old folks rest
Must be to me, where’re I be, the dearest and the best.
And though I rove o’er hill and dale and brave old Neptune’s foam,
O’er crags and rocks and mossy dells, I still will turn me home;
For when at length I come to die, I want no gilded tomb,
Just let me rest within thy breast, where thy sweet flowers bloom,
Where thy sweet flowers bloom.
A POET’S PRAYER
Valerie Rodway
Bless Thou mine yes that they might see
The joy of all Eternity;
The sun by day, the moon by night
By each in turn my guiding light.
Bless Thou my mind that it might be
Pure as the wide unfurrowed sea.
May all foul thoughts that therefrom rise
Fade as an azure ripple dies.
Seal Thou my lips if they should seek
Trembling a sinful word to speak.
Make every breath that I might breathe
Fresh as a dew-charged morning breeze.
Guide Thou these fingers as they write
That they might flame the darkest night.
As sheets of flame fierce upward rise
So may their music hit the skies.
HYMN FOR GUYANA’S CHILDREN
Valerie Rodway
With humble hearts and heads bowed down
In thanks for each new day of toil
We kneel before Thine altar, Lord
The children of Guyana’s soil.
Great is the task that Thou hast given:
Thy will to show, Thy truth to find:
To teach ourselves that we are one
In thy great Universal mind.
But not in vain we’ll strive to build
A new Guyana great and free;
A land of glory and of hope,
A land of love and unity.
O children of Guyana, rise,
Rise up and sing with happy tears:
And bless the land that gave you birth,
And vow to serve her through the years.
Song of the Republic
Words by Cleveland W. Hamilton
Music by Frank Daniels
From Pakaraima’s peaks of pow’r
To Courentyne’s lush sands,
Her children pledge each faithful hour
To guard Guyana’s lands.
To foil the shock of rude invader
Who’d violate her earth,
To cherish and defend forever
The State that gave them birth.
We’ll forge a nation’s mighty soul
Construct a nation’s frame;
Freedom our everlasting goal,
Courage and truth our aim,
Unyielding in our quest for peace
Like ancient heroes brave,
To strive and strive and never cease
With Strength beyond the slave.
Guyana, climb the glorious perch
To fame, prosperity;
Join in the universal search
For world-wide comity.
Your people what soe’er their breed
Their hue or quality,
With one firm never changing creed
The nation’s unity.
ARISE, GUYANA
Valerie Rodway
When Freedom waved her banner bright
On Ayanganna’s verdant height,
A Nation’s glad triumphant song
Reverb’rant rose full, loud and long;
Guyana, fair Guyana,
Be true to your higher destiny.
With valiant will and purpose keen
A Nation strove in faith serene,
Bold Cuffy’s dream of Sixty-three
Today’s a sheer reality,
Guyana, fair Guyana,
Be true to your nobler destiny.
Arise! Guyana’s sons, Arise!
May you be steeled by action wise,
Guard well our sacred heritage
That it may thrive from age to age.
Guyana, blessed Guyana,
Be proud of your glorious destiny.
A SONG OF HOPE
R.C.G. Potter
Marching towards the shining future,
Courage high, the past is gone,
Faith o’ercoming fear and doubting,
On to Glory’s sun-burst, On!
Thro’ the storm clouds dark and lowering,
Thro’ Fate’s lighting flash and flame
On! Republic of Guyana
Glorify Guyana’s name.
Forward,forward, youthful nation
Primed with pow’r beyond man’s might
May His strength God ever grant you
To strive unceasingly for right.
From Roraima’s mist-crowned summit
To wide surf-fringed Sixty-Three
Be thy people, dear Guyana,
Strong, united, loyal, free.
THE SONG OF GUYANA’S CHILDREN
Hawley-Bryant
Born in the land of the mighty Roraima,
Land of great rivers and far stretching sea;
So like the mountain, the sea and the river
Great, wide and deep in our lives would we be;
Chorus:
Onward, upward, may we ever go
Day by day in strength and beauty grow,
Till at length we each of us may show,
What Guyana’s sons and daughters can be.
Born in the land of Kaieteur’s shining splendour
Land of the palm tree, the croton and fern,
We would possess all the virtues and graces,
We all the glory of goodness would learn.
Born in the land where men sought El Dorado,
Land of the Diamond and bright shining gold,
We would build up by our faith, love and labour,
God’s golden city which never grows old.
Thus to the land which to us God has given
May our young lives bring a gift rich and rare,
Thus, as we grow, may the worth of Guyana
Shine with a glory beyond all compare.
TO SERVE MY COUNTRY
George Noel
Chorus:
Guyana! I want to serve my country!
Guyana! Beautiful, happy and free!
Guyana! Let’s co-operate with our Government
To help develop Guyana the Free
Together, my comrades, we will build our new Guyana-
A country where all have equal opportunity.
So let us begin now to show loyalty to Guyana
By showing love and respect for all Guyanese.
My brothers! My Sisters! We will live and die here together
Our motto: One People – One Nation – One Destiny
For harmonious living co-operation will be forever
In work and play as we live as proud Guyanese.
Chorus:
Well it’s time we settle all the rich lands in the interior-
Our natural resources are there in great quantity-
And we will do farming and establish towns by the border,
We’ll grow more food so we would feed all Guyanese.
My greatest desire is to serve my country, Guyana,
And sincerely help my Guyana to move along.
Our Government asks us that we study hard and we learn
The things that will help Guyana to become strong.
Chorus:
RIVER SONG
Hugh Sam
White sailed schooners dreaming up the river,
White winged seagulls curving in their pride,
Blunt nosed timber barges threaded like a bracelet
Strung behind a small tug struggling ‘gainst the tide.
Brown flows the Demerara, mud brown and tea brown,
Brown are the mud banks where the mangroves sprawl,
Proud are the white sails, red sails, grey sails,
From wing-tailed fishing boat to schooner tall.
Kings of the river are the bauxite steamers,
Down and up the river with the ebb and flow,
Queens of the river are the grave white liners
Anchored by the roadway with the town below.
Wide is the mouth of the brown Demerara,
Gracious are the small ships winged for the breeze,
Fishing ships and trade ships and passengers from far lands,
Homing up the river or out across the seas.
WAY DOWN DEMERARA
R.C.G.Potter
When your ship has passed the islands and the blue sea turns to brown,
And the leadsman calls ‘Five Fathoms’ when he casts the lead-line down,
And you see a long flat coastland and a smokeless wooden town,
You can reckon you are nearing Demerara.
Demerara, Demerara, you can reckon you are nearing Demerara.
When you’re wakened in the morning by a cheerful kiskadee,
And you see a sackiwinki by a mukka mukka tree,
And the very homely features of the slimy manatee,
You can know that you are down in Demerara.
Demerara, Demerara, you can know that you are down in Demerara.
When you spot an alligator who is waiting for a feed,
And observe a salempenta (of the iguana breed),
And you dodge the marabunta (ripe for any evil deed),
You are somewhere, without doubt, in Demerara.
Demerara, Demerara, you are somewhere, without doubt, in Demerara.
When you sail up mighty rivers and you scarcely glimpse a hill,
And you see the great Kaieteur (which perhaps you never will),
When you pay your fare in shillings, though it’s dollars on the bill,
You will boast that you’re at home in Demerara.
Demerara, Demerara, you will boast that you’re at home in Demerara.
THE BERBICE FERRY
Sr. Rose Magdalene
We’re riding on a ferry boat across the Berbice River
The water’s calm and gently flowing
Breezes cool are softly blowing
Sailing, sailing merrily across the Berbice River.
The people on the ferry boat have lots of fun together
They talk and laugh, they sing and shout
Get out of their cars and move about
Sailing, sailing merrily across the Berbice River.
Friends meet on the ferry boat across the Berbice River
They sit and have a little chat
They talk of this and talk of that
Sailing, sailing merrily across the Berbice River.
It’s such a very pleasant ride across the Berbice River
The whistle blows so all may know
To say goodbye, it’s time to go
We’ve safely reached the other side
Across the Berbice River.
See Ferries in Guyana
‘LET US COOPERATE’
R. A. Pilgrim
Let us co-operate for Guyana
Let us co-operate for our land,
Let us resolve to fight together
See we do it right together
Can we do it? Yes we can.
Each man must do his bit with his comrades,
Each man must do his bit for his land,
Each must resolve to help another,
Learn to call his neighbour ‘brother’
Can we do it? Yes we can.
Each group must do its best for the region,
Each group must do its best for the land,
Each group must sacrifice a little
Learn to do without a little
Can we do it? Yes we can.
The regions must unite for the country,
The regions must unite for the land,
Each region has its chosen mission
But they all have one ambition
Can we do it? Yes we can.
Let us co-operate for Guyana
Let us co-operate for our land
Let us resolve to fight together
See we do it right together
Can we do it? Yes we can.
N.A. (New Amsterdam, Berbice)
Anonymous
There’s a small town
By a river,
Where the ferry plies all day;
Just a small town,
But I love it,
For it’s my town,
NA.;
There are plain folks
On the streets there,
Folks who nod and smile ‘Good-day’;
Only plain folks,
But they’re great folks,
And they’re my folks
In N.A.
There’s a white church on the Main Street,
Where a tall spire looks down,
And an old Clock, chiming gently,
Drops a blessing on the town;
City friends may
Mock and wander,
But for me it’s O.K.
And that small town
Is the greatest,
And it’s my town
N.A.
SALUTE TO GUYANA
W.R.A. Pilgrim
We hail thee, Guyana, our country, our home,
From coast to the hinterland your wonders abound.
Your mountains, savannah lands, all with beauty crowned
Will always live in our memory wherever we roam.
We sing of Guyana, In village and town
We pledge our allegiance as onward we go,
United together our strength we will show
And build a new Guyana, a land of renown.
We love you, Guyana, blessed may you be,
Our flags we will honour, our motto uphold;
Inspired by our leaders our destiny we’ll mould
And proudly face the future – undaunted are we.
TWILIGHT
Cecile E. Burgan-Nobrega
I dance upon the brink of day,
And try to keep the night away,
I stand between the dark and night
And ere the sun dives out of sight
I borrow from his flaming rays-
The splendour of a million days.
The rainbow in my hand I hold,
Vermilion, russet, orange, gold,
I strive to light the dark’ning sky
The day, I say, it shall not die
For who has seen the night so gay
He would not change it for the day
And though I lose the uneven fight
I fill the inky sky with light.
But countless eyes at night must play
Where only one had ruled the day.
THE GOLDEN ARROWHEAD
Sr. Rose Magdalene
There are many flags in many lands
right across the world they’re spread.
But there’s no flag in any land like our
Golden Arrowhead.
Then hurrah for the flag,
Guyana’s flag with its arrows gold,
green and red.
For there’s no flag in any land like
our Golden Arrowhead.
The golden arrow signifies, our
precious gems and gold.
The green points to the forests lush.
The red our strength untold.
Let as all stand, salute our flag,
our loyalty to pledge.
And promise always to revere,
The golden arrowhead.
TO THE HIBISCUS
Horace Taitt
Fair Hibiscus, long you linger
In the gardens of the poor,
Bringing joy and cheer and brightness
To the peasant’s lowly door.
There your blossoms bloom in splendour.
Telling all that pass you by
That earth’s beauty and earth’s gladness
To the poorest hearts are nigh.
Fair Hibiscus, you are frailer
Than the blooms of roses rare.
In our homes you fade imprisoned
Free, you grow without a care.
Fairest cup of reddest radiance,
Joy comes with you to my heart,
Teach me your own joyful message
That I may such cheer impart.
BLUE-SAKI
Jodina
Blue-Saki blue as the sky above, preening in yon lofty trees;
Blue-Saki blue is a pretty bird all dressed up in her party blue.
Chirpy chirpy chirpy chirp
Flying off in search of her meal.
Blue-Saki blue as the sky above, singing a song of quiet joy.
Blue-Saki blue as the sky above, sitting on yon garden fence,
Blue-Saki no recital she sings and never displays like the bold kiskadee.
Chirpy chirpy chirpy chirp
Eyes on the look-out for worm or grub,
Blue-Saki blue as the sky above, singing a song of quiet joy.
Blue-Saki blue as the sky above, flitting among the shady boughs;
Blue-Saki likes a fruit or two to add to her diet for a change.
Chirpy chirpy chirpy chirp
Mango or cherry or guava will do.
Blue-Saki blue as the sky above, singing a song of quiet joy.
CHILDREN OF GUYANA
Sr. Rose Magdalene
We are children of Guyana
And we love our native land.
With rivers lakes and waterfalls
Its mountains tall and grand
We will strive to make Guyana.
A land so fair and free
One people and one nation
One single destiny
We are children of Guyana
And we proudly our eyes.
When we see the Golden Arrowhead
flutter bravely in the shies.
For it tells us we shall ever more
be free upon this earth.
God bless you dear Guyana the
country of our birth.
BEAUTIFUL GUYANA
Hilton Hemerding
There’s a land just off the Atlantic,
Land of jungles, waterfalls and sweet scenery,
Where poor people farm the lands and hunt the waters,
And all live in peace and harmony.
This is Guyana, beautiful Guyana.
This is Guyana, beautiful Guyana.
Diamond seekers go in the Interior,
Pulling their corials under the falls,
Singing sweet calypso as they heave on their way
To dig up the diamond and the gold.
With Kaieteur tumbling to the river,
How I love to see your foaming tide;
I listen to the chirps of the cheerful kiskadee
As they throw their yellow breasts to the sky.
O Guyana, land where I was born,
O sweet land shining in the sun,
I could hear the monkey chatter up in a tree
And the parrots singing this melody.
O Guyana, beautiful Guyana,
O Guyana, independent and free,.
O Guyana, beautiful Guyana.
TREAT ALL GUYANESE EQUAL
George Noel
Ah see mi mother an’ father working in harmony,
Building our new Guyana fo all deh children to see.
A look at dem an’ a wonder what make dem working’ like dat,
So ah ask Daddy fo di answer. Well hear di answer ah gat:
Chorus:
We want to build our nation
Fo di future generation,
So practise co-operation we will.
Forget race an’ religion
An’ yuh wealth an’ yuh position,
An’ treat all Guyanese equal. Yes, we will!
Ah see mi brothers an’ sisters living in unity,
Building our new Guyana fo all young people to see.
Ah look at dem an’ a wonder what make dem livin’ like dat,
So ah ask Daddy fo di answer. Well hear di answer ah gat:
Chorus:
Ah see people in dis country serving humanity,
Building our new Guyana so dat di whole world could see.
Ah look at dem an’ ah wonder what make dem t’inkin’ like dat,
So ah ask Daddy fa di answer. Well hear di answer ah gat:
Chorus:
So I decided to follow di good example ah see
Building our new Guyana to make it what it should be.
Mi Daddy notice an’ wonder how I start actin’ like dat,
So he ask me what was di matter. Well hear di answer he gat:
Chorus:
CITIZEN JOHN
Jodina
Citizen John is a positive man;
When he gets out he looks around with discerning eyes;
Citizen John he never pretends he didn’t see
Work to be done but lends a hand.
Citizen John he never says “That’s not my job and I do not care”
Citizen John is a positive man
He always gives help wherever he can to everyone.
Citizen John is a practical man;
He never sits back and leaves all the work for others to do.
Citizen John never ignores the unpleasant tasks
That no one else wants but does his share.
Citizen John he never says “That’s not my job and I do not care”
Citizen John is a practical man
He always makes sure he does his work as well as he can.
Citizen John is a caring man;
He never forgets that there is strength in unity.
Citizen John works very hard because he knows
That every bit counts to achieve success.
Citizen John, he never says “That’s not my job and I do not care”
Citizen John is a caring man who works to make
His country the best for everyone.
ME CAWFEE IN DE MARNIN’
P.M de Weever
Some people likes de chocklet,
Some people likes de tea,
Some drinks de suga’ watah,
And some de lemonade,
But I ca’e fo’ none o’ dose,
The only t’ing fo’ me
Is me bowl o’ bilin’ cawfee in de marnin’
Chorus:
Me cawfee, me cawfee, me cawfee, me cawfee,
Me bowl o’ bilin’ cawfee in de marnin’
I ca’e fo’ none o’ dose,
The only t’ing fo’ me
Is me bowl o’ bilin’ cawfee in de marnin’.
Wid de sunrise I gets up,
Ev’ry marnin’ dry or wet,
So as never to be lated
For de work I has to do,
I gen’ally says me prayers
Unless I does fo’get
But I always drinks me cawfee in de marnin’.
Sometimes I has it grand
Wid me saltfish an’ me fat,
An’ me yalla plantain boil
Wid green pepper an’ some rice.
But wha’me min’ does gi’e me fo’
Mo’e betta dan all dat
Is me cawfee wid a gill bread in de marnin’.
I is an ole man now,
An’ does often punish bad,
But I’s had me good days,
An’ I mus’ satisfy.
I can still hol’ togedda
An’ still praise de Lawd
If I only gets me cawfee in de marnin.
O Beautiful Guyana
Valerie Rodway
O beautiful Guyana
O my lovely native land
More dear to me than all the world
Thy sea-washed, sun-kissed strand
Or down upon the borders
Looking out upon the deep
The great Atlantic
Blown into a fury, or asleep.
At morn, at noon – or better
In the crimson sunset’s glow
I love thee, Oh I love thee.
My Guyana, Eldorado
My Guyana, Eldorado
Best of all the world to me
In my heart where’er I wander
Memory enshrineth thee;
All my hopes and aspirations,
All my longings only tie
Everlasting bonds around us
As the fleeting years roll by.
My Guyana, time’s unfolding
More and more thy destiny,
To redeem in lasting splendour
All the years had lost to thee;
And the dawning of thy glory
O’er the long long night is cast
O arise triumphant, glorious,
From the ashes of the past.
O arise, triumphant, glorious,
From the ashes of the past.
THE MANGO SELLERS
Sr. Rose Magdalene
Early in the morning, before the break of day
See the market women going on their way
Baskets filled with mangoes, ripe, juicy and sweet
Their faces bright, their eyes alight
Swaying down the street.
Chorus:
Get your mangoes, ripe, ripe mangoes
The market women cry
Sweet and nice, Buxton Spice
Cone to market and buy.
Soon they reach the market right opposite the Mali
Set out the tempting mangoes in parcels on the stall
Lady, buy some mangoes, taste see how they sweet
Soft and nice, firm and ripe
Children love them to eat.
Chorus: Get your mangoes, etc.
IN AN AEROPLANE
Sr. Rose Magdalene
Flying high above the clouds in an aeroplane
Looking down on fields of rice and sugarcane
See the mighty Essequibo winding way down there
There are so many things to notice
flying through the air.
Sparkling waterfalls and tops of forest green
Creeks and gorges steep with rainbows in between
Circling over Georgetown you can view the coastal plain
