Originally composed by Governor Sir Cavendish Boyle in 1902[1] as a four-verse poem titled Newfoundland; it was sung by Frances Daisy Foster at the Casino Theatre of St. John's during the closing of the play Mamzelle on December 22, 1902.

On May 20, 1904, the Ode was chosen as Newfoundland's official national anthem.

When sun rays crown thy pine clad hills, And summer spreads her hand, When silvern voices tune thy rills, We love thee, smiling land.

When spreads thy cloak of shimmering white, At winter's stern command, Thro' shortened day, and starlit night, We love thee, frozen land.

When blinding storm gusts fret thy shore, And wild waves lash thy strand, Thro' spindrift swirl, and tempest roar, We love thee windswept land.