I think one of the troubles with national anthems (aside from the sexism or irrelevance of the words) is that because everyone has to sing it at once it is never in a key to suit everyone. Same with church hymns. A song does not sound good when sung by a third of the population screeching away because it's too high, another third singing one part ok but then dropping or raising an octave to try and sing the rest. Unfortunately, the ones who are having to do both of those things are usually the only ones who know all the words!
Allie