I know that many national anthems are pretty long - surprisingly long. :) You don't speak French, right? Look up a translation of the French lyrics to our national anthem - they're actually completely different than the official English version. The French version came first, and there were several English versions before we hit on this one.

Before "Oh, Canada", it was "Maple Leaf Forever", I believe, and before that it was the standard "God Save the King/Queen".