‘Yma o Hyd’ has been chosen as the official 2022 football World Cup song for the Wales men’s team.
What is ‘Yma o Hyd’ and who is it by?
‘Yma o Hyd’, whose title translates as ‘We’re Still Here’ in English, is by Welsh composer Dafydd Iwan. It has been sung as a proud celebration of Welsh language, history and culture for almost four decades. We’ve discussed some of the other best and most popular Welsh songs elsewhere on the BBC Music website.
There’s plenty of national pride in Wales at the moment, as the men’s football team – coached by Rob Page – have qualified for the football World Cup for the first time since 1958.
The recording of Iwan’s hugely popular anthem has been remastered and features live recordings of the Wales football fans – also known as the ‘Red Wall’ – chanting their beloved team on.
The song has become increasingly popular in recent years. The song has become increasingly popular in recent years. The Scarlets rugby union team, from Llanelli, play it during pre-match warm-ups, as do Wrexham football club. It’s also been heard at Welsh international rugby matches.
More recently, ‘Yma o Hyd’ has also been heard during the buildup at Cardiff City’s home football games. It’s often heard alongside ‘Men of Harlech’, which is played as the Cardiff players walk out on to the pitch. We’ve got the lyrics to ‘Men of Harlech’ elsewhere on our site.
Who is Dafydd Iwan?
‘Yma o Hyd’ was written by Welsh composer Dafydd Iwan (full name Dafydd Iwan Jones), a Welsh singer and nationalist politician who earned himself a name for writing and performing Welsh-language folk music during the 1960s and 1970s. Iwan has also been a prominent member of Cymdeithas ar leith Gymraeg, a pressure group campaigning for the rights of Welsh people to use the Welsh language in their everyday lives.
From 2003 to 2010, Iwan was the president of Plaid Cymru, the political party which supports Welsh independence from the UK.
What do the lyrics of ‘Yma o Hyd’ mean?
‘Yma o Hyd’ is a song about the survival of Welsh culture and language. The lyrics discuss Wales’ resilience – that, ‘in spite of everyone and everything’, Wales is still a proud nation.
What are the Wales football fixtures in the 2022 World Cup?
Wales are in Group B with England, Iran and the USA. They will play USA on 21 November, Iran on 25 November and England on 29 November.