- Tourist discovers footy team’s song is based on French national anthem
- ‘The Pride of Brisbane Town’ is sung to the tune of La Marseillaise
A French traveller visiting Australia was left astonished after attending an AFL match at Marvel Stadium, where she discovered that the Brisbane Lions Football Club’s team song sounded very familiar.
TikTok user @bonjourmelbourne witnessed Brisbane’s impressive 37-point win over Carlton on Thursday night and says her ‘jaw dropped’ when she heard the club’s team song echoing around the ground.
‘Can someone please explain why the French anthem is the Brisbane Lions theme song,’ she posted.
Some footy fans were also confused by the bizarre revelation, but diehard Lions fans set her straight in the comments section.
The club’s team song, ‘The Pride of Brisbane Town’, is indeed sung to the tune of La Marseillaise, the French national anthem.
The Lions adopted the tune in 1997, but it originates from Fitzroy, who merged with the Brisbane Bears to form the club.
A French tourist in Melbourne says her ‘jaw dropped’ when she heard Brisbane’s team song echoing around the ground
Lions players belting out the ‘The Pride of Brisbane Town’ following their win last week
The song was written by former player Bill Stephen while on an end-of-season trip to Perth in 1952.
‘We really didn’t have a song that united us at Fitzroy, and I had just been to the pictures to see Casablanca and was impressed by the scene in the restaurant,’ Stephen explained.
‘The Germans were belting out their Nazi song, and some bloke started singing this French song. Gradually all the French joined in and overwhelmed the Germans with their voice. I was very impressed with the song, La Marseillaise.
‘As we were in a carriage on our way to the West having a booze-up, I told the boys that we needed a good song and gave them the tune to La Marseillaise.
‘Anyway, I wanted all the boys to help make up the song. I started them off with the first line, which was, ‘We are the boys from Fitzroy my lads,’ then I went to all the others and each gave me a different line.
‘We must have sung it 30,000 times by the time we got home a fortnight later. That song kept Fitzroy people alive during our bad days. People used to sing it, and sing it, and sing it.’
The Lions showed no mercy against the Blues last week, romping to a 15.13 (103) to 9.12 (66) victory at Marvel Stadium.
Brisbane’s Josh Dunkley (28 disposals, 13 tackles) was awarded the inaugural Robert Walls Medal, struck in honour of the dual-club great, who died in May.
Brisbane easily accounted for Carlton at Marvel Stadium on Thursday night
The only sore point for the Lions (12-4-1) was Noah Answerth’s suspected season-ending achilles injury, which led to the defender’s substitution before halftime.
Lachie Neale (31 disposals), Dayne Zorko (28) and Will Ashcroft (28) were all influential and Charlie Cameron (three majors) led a group of 11 Brisbane goal-kickers.
‘Our pressure was good tonight,’ Brisbane coach Chris Fagan said.
‘We got 35 forward-half turnovers, which is a large number, 20 tackles inside-50, seven goals eight from forward-half turnovers.
‘All that was on the back of pressure and good tackling, so it was a very good effort in that regard.’
