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Valand, Great Land of the East was a song written by Michael Yarwood, OCM, the "Songsmith of the Confederacy", author of the most popular Confederate national anthem, The Bonny White Flag, as well as President Zarkan's Grand March, Jane Zarkan's personal theme, adopted by subsequent Presidents as the Confederate Presidential theme.

Michael Yarwood, a very patriotic citizen of the Confederate States of Earth, wrote the song as a call for the Confederate-sympathising Republic of Valand to secede from the Union of Earth States in the immediate aftermath of the Valand Campaign, in early 21 BBY, in which the forces of Valand engaged the Union's unprovoked invasion of their land, the invasion simply being due to the fact that the Valandan Senate had refused to heed the Union's demand to take up arms against their seceded sister nations.

Not wishing to engage in war, Valand declared her neutrality in the despite, though she made a mutual defence pact with the Confederacy, allowing the Confederacy to garrison forces within Valand's borders in order to protect the nation.

As a result of this act President Richard Williams of the Union had his forces move through Valand in order to invade the Confederacy, despite Valand's protests. Of particular contention was the Fort Frontier Massacre, the "First Bloodshed of the War of Western Independence", in which the invading Union Army forces opened fire on a gathering of civilians angry at the invasion of their nation by Federalist forces, resulting in the deaths of 72 men, women and children. This massacre is mentioned in the last verse of the song, in the line "Now drench in your patriots' blood by despot's murderous command".

Within a few weeks of the Valand Campaign Valand seceded from the Union and joined the Confederacy as the 11th Confederate member nation.

The song appeared in a songbook titled Patriotic Songs and Anthems of Confederate Earth, during the Battle of the Jabiim, in which the Republic invaded the world after Jabiim joined the Confederacy of Independent Systems, Michael Yarwood wrote a version called Jabiim, Great Land of the Rim, in which he called on Jabiimites to resist the Republic invaders.

Lyrics[]

The tune to Valand, Great Land of the East

Oh, Valand! Oh, Valand! Oh, great land of the East!
Where the hard working folks are greeted a feast,
Who gave to the farmer reward for his toil,
Expended in turning and breaking the soil,
Awake to the tunes of the bugle and the drum,
Awake from your slumber, a great tyrant has come!

Oh, Valand! Oh, Valand! Stand not your foe!
The foe that would see your land laid down low!
Do awak'n, with honour, you noble, knightly, men,
And add your bright star to our beauteous bann'r of the Ten!

They have forc'd upon you their destructive, unholy fight,
Of ire and of spite, with pow'r and with might,
'Gainst father, and brother, and lov'd ones so near,
'Gainst women, and children, and all you hold dear;
They've invaded your soil, and insult'd your pride,
They've murder'd your citizens - swept their honour aside!

Oh, Valand! Oh, Valand! Stand not your foe!
The foe that would see your land laid down low!
Do awak'n, with honour, you noble, knightly, men,
And add your bright star to our beauteous bann'r of the Ten!

Oh, Valand! Oh, Valand! What betides your proud band?
Free land of the east, your verdant, cherish'd, land,
Now drench'd in your patriots' blood by a despot's murd'rous command,
Proclaiming his own tyrant law o'er your land;
Brave men of free Valand, strike without fear,
Jane Zarkan, Mr Stephens, and Sam Tanner are all near.

Oh, Valand! Oh, Valand! Stand not your foe!
The foe that would see your land laid down low!
Do awak'n, with honour, you noble, knightly, men,
And add your bright star to our beauteous bann'r of the Ten!

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