If you’ve ever stood in a stadium in Bogotá or Medellín, you’ve felt it. The roar. It’s not just a song; it’s a marathon. Most countries have a quick thirty-second jingle to get the game started. Not Colombia. The national anthem of Colombia lyrics are a sprawling, intense, and frankly exhausting historical epic that spans eleven verses and a chorus. Most Colombians don't even know all of them. Honestly, why would they? You’d be standing there for fifteen minutes if they sang the whole thing.
The Himno Nacional de la República de Colombia is officially the second most beautiful anthem in the world, at least according to a very persistent urban legend that every Colombian grew up believing. Is there an official ranking? Probably not. But the pride is real.
Written by a president and composed by an Italian opera enthusiast, the lyrics are a dense forest of 19th-century metaphors, bloody battles, and calls for liberty. If you're trying to memorize it or just want to understand what on earth "the horrible night has ceased" actually means, you have to look past the surface-level patriotism.
The Weird History of How It Was Written
Rafael Núñez wasn't just some guy. He was the President of Colombia. Multiple times. Back in 1850, he wrote a poem to celebrate the independence of Cartagena. He didn't write it thinking, "Hey, this will be the national song for the next two centuries." It was just a poem. It sat around for decades.
Then came Oreste Síndici. He was an Italian opera singer who ended up in Colombia because, well, life is strange. In 1887, at the request of a theater director, Síndici took Núñez's old poem and set it to music. It debuted on November 11, 1887, to celebrate the anniversary of Cartagena's independence. People loved it. It was like a 19th-century viral hit.
By 1920, the government made it official. It wasn't just a popular song anymore; it was the law.
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The Chorus: "Oh Gloria Inmarcesible!"
You hear the chorus everywhere. It’s the part everyone knows by heart. But the language is... old. Even for native Spanish speakers, some of the words are a bit of a head-scratcher.
"¡Oh, gloria inmarcesible! / ¡Oh, júbilo inmortal!"
"Inmarcesible" is a fancy way of saying "unfading." Think of a flower that never wilts. That’s the glory Núñez was talking about. He wanted to capture the idea that the sacrifice made for independence would never lose its shine.
"En surcos de dolores / el bien germina ya."
This is one of the most famous lines in the national anthem of Colombia lyrics. It literally translates to "In furrows of pain, the good is now germinating." It’s a farming metaphor. Basically, it means that all the suffering, blood, and war of the revolution were the seeds planted in the ground, and now the "good"—liberty—is finally starting to grow. It’s a bit dark, but it fits the vibe of the time.
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Why Nobody Sings the Eleven Verses
Let’s be real. If you’re at a FIFA World Cup match, you’re only hearing the chorus and the first verse. If the DJ played all eleven verses, the players would need a halftime break before the game even started.
Each verse focuses on a different part of the struggle for independence. Some talk about the Battle of Boyacá. Others mention the Virgin Mary or the "Land of Colón."
The first verse is the one you actually need to know:
"Cesó la horrible noche, la libertad sublime / derrama las auroras de su invencible luz. / La humanidad entera, que entre cadenas gime, / comprende las palabras del que murió en la cruz."
"The horrible night has ceased." That’s the opening hook. The night is the Spanish colonial rule. The "invincible light" is freedom. Núñez gets pretty religious here, too, comparing the struggle for liberty to the sacrifice of Jesus. It’s dramatic. It’s heavy. It’s very 1800s.
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The Verses You’ve Probably Never Heard
The middle verses get into the weeds of specific battles. Verse six talks about "Bolívar crosses the Andes," which was a massive military feat where soldiers literally froze to death trying to surprise the Spanish.
Verse nine is particularly grim: "The Bárbula shores / with soul-rending moans / see the hero falling / and the tyrant trembling." It refers to the death of Atanasio Girardot, a hero who died wrapping himself in the flag.
If you're a foreigner trying to learn this, don't sweat the later verses. Even the most patriotic locals usually trail off after the first one and just hum the melody while looking intense.
Common Misconceptions About the Anthem
- The "Second Best" Myth: As mentioned, many Colombians will swear to you that their anthem won a contest (usually cited as being run by The Telegraph or the UN) as the second most beautiful in the world, right after La Marseillaise. There is no record of this contest ever happening. But honestly? It’s a great anthem, so the myth persists because it feels like it should be true.
- The "Radio Rule": In Colombia, there is a law (Law 198 of 1995) that requires all public radio and television stations to play the national anthem at 6:00 AM and 6:00 PM every single day. It’s a weirdly comforting part of daily life. You could be in a taxi or a grocery store, and suddenly, the "horrible night" starts playing.
- The Speed: Sometimes it’s played as a slow, somber funeral march. Other times, it’s played at a brisk, military clip. The official version is supposed to be a "maestoso" (majestic) tempo, but passion usually dictates the speed.
How to Actually Memorize the National Anthem of Colombia Lyrics
If you really want to nail it for a ceremony or a game, don't try to read it like a textbook. It’s opera. It’s meant to be felt.
- Listen to the rhythm. Síndici was an opera guy. The music has these big, swelling crescendos. If you follow the music, the words start to make more sense.
- Learn the "Why." It’s easier to remember "En surcos de dolores" if you imagine a farmer in the 1800s planting seeds in a battlefield.
- Focus on the Chorus first. It repeats. If you know the chorus, you know 50% of what is usually sung.
The national anthem of Colombia lyrics are a reflection of a country that has been through a lot. They aren't bubbly or lighthearted. They are about surviving a "horrible night." They are about the "furrows of pain."
When you hear 50,000 people in the Estadio Metropolitano in Barranquilla screaming these lyrics, it’s not just about history. It’s about a collective identity that refuses to fade—just like that "inmarcesible" glory Núñez wrote about while staring at the Caribbean Sea.
Actionable Steps for Mastering the Lyrics
- Read the full poem: Don't just look for the song version. Look up the original poem by Rafael Núñez to see the punctuation and intent behind the stanzas.
- Watch a Military Parade: If you want to hear the full version (or at least more than one verse), watch the July 20th Independence Day parades on YouTube. It gives you the full scale of the composition.
- Practice the "Voseo" or Formal Spanish: While the anthem is in a very formal, poetic Spanish, understanding the grammatical structure of 19th-century literature will help you stop tripping over words like "gime" or "auroras."
- Check the legalities: If you are a business owner in Colombia, remember the 6:00 AM/PM rule for broadcasting. It sounds old-school, but it's still the law of the land.