Yeah. been running through my head ever since you first mentioned it. The only national anthem I know of that's _lyrical_. All the others have that thumping, foursquare chest-beating quality -- even O Canada, in spite of its relatively pacific words. Whenever you hear the tuba and the bass drum, I always say, the panzers can't be far behind.
That said, I do confess to a weakness for the Marseillaise.
Then there's the Star Spangled Banner, which is totally wack. A range of a twelfth -- and what other national anthem is in 3/4 time, for heaven's sake?