Five long years under shadow and chain,

Hearts held quiet, but hope remained.

Then the ships came sailing, flags held high,

Freedom returned to the island sky.

Raise your voices, let the bells all ring,

Guernsey is free, let the people sing!

From the harbour walls to the country lanes,

The light of May shines again.

Tears and laughter filled the square,

Hands together, banners in the air.

We remember sorrow, but stronger we stand,

Liberation lives in this land.

 Raise your voices, let the bells all ring,

Guernsey is free, let the people sing!

From the harbour walls to the country lanes,

The light of May shines again.

 The light of May… shines again.

The Light of May – Singing Guernsey’s Story

Every year on the 9th of May, our little island bursts into colour. Flags drape the harbour railings, bunting stretches down the High Street, and the sound of the Town Church bells carries over St Peter Port. Liberation Day isn’t just marked here – it’s lived.

That’s why the song “The Light of May” feels so special. It doesn’t just retell the history of 1945, it captures the emotion of that day in words we can still feel in our bones.

Remembering the Occupation

The opening verse goes:

“Five long years under shadow and chain,
Hearts held quiet, but hope remained.”

For five years our island was cut off, its people under occupation. My gran used to say the hardest part wasn’t just the hunger or the curfews, but the silence – not knowing when, or if, freedom would return. These lines carry that weight, and yet they remind us that hope was never fully lost.

Liberation Morning

The chorus lifts like the sound of those bells in 1945:

“Raise your voices, let the bells all ring,
Guernsey is free, let the people sing!”

I imagine standing by the Liberation Monument, looking out over the harbour where the first British ships sailed in. I think of the crowd that filled the Square, tears and laughter mixing as flags were waved for the first time in years. That’s exactly the energy this chorus brings – a celebration that belongs to all of us.

An Island’s Heartbeat

The second verse talks about “tears and laughter filling the square” – and anyone who’s stood in St Peter Port on May 9th knows that feeling. Children waving paper flags, the smell of food stalls in the air, families gathered together – it’s joy and remembrance side by side.

When the song ends with “The light of May… shines again”, it doesn’t feel like an ending. It feels like a reminder that each year, from the harbour walls to the lanes of St Martin’s and the cliffs of Torteval, the island breathes that freedom anew.

Why It Matters Here

For me, this song isn’t just about the past. It’s about the present too – about how we come together as an island every year, to remember the struggle, honour those who lived it, and celebrate the gift they handed down to us.

Because here in Guernsey, Liberation isn’t just history. It’s part of who we are. And every May 9th, when the bells ring out and voices rise across the island, the light of May truly shines again.