After the unification in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes in December 1918, the issue was raised of the use of the national anthem on special occasions. Although a law on the national anthem did not exist, the anthems of all three South Slav tribes were unified into a single anthem of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes/Yugoslavia. The first verses to be sung were those of "O, God of Justice", then of "Our Beautiful Homeland" and then "Forward, the Flag of Glory", their first and last stanzas.

Anthems of individual nations

Serbian	Croatian	Slovenian
God of Justice; Thou who saved us when in deepest bondage cast, Hear Thy Serbian children's voices, Be our help as in the past. With Thy mighty hand sustain us, Still our rugged pathway trace; God, our hope; protect and cherish Serbian country and Serbian race! Bind in closest links our kindred Teach the love that will not fail, May the loathed fiend of discord Never in our ranks prevail. Let the golden fruits of union Our young tree of freedom grace; God, our Master! guide and prosper Serbian country and Serbian race. Lord! Avert from us Thy vengeance, Thunder of Thy dreaded ire; Bless each Serbian town and hamlet, Mountain, meadow, heart and spire. When our host goes forth to battle Death or victory to embrace- God of armies! be our leader Strengthen then the Serbian race. On our sepulchre of ages Breaks the resurrection morn, From the slough of direst slavery Serbia anew is born. Through five hundred years of durance We have knelt before Thy face, All our kin, O, God! deliver, Thus entreats the Serbian race	Our beautiful homeland, O so fearless and gracious, Our fathers' ancient glory, May you be blessed forever. Dear, you are our only glory, Dear, you are our only one, Dear, we love your plains, Dear, we love your mountains. Sava, Drava, keep on flowing, Danube, do not lose your vigor, Deep blue sea, tell the world, That a Croat loves his homeland. Whilst his fields are kissed by sunshine, Whilst his oaks are whipped by wild winds, Whilst his dear ones go to heaven, Whilst his live heart beats.	Forward, the flag of glory, To battle, heroes' blood! For our fatherland's sake Let the rifles sound. With weapons on our right We bring the devil wrath. To write in blood the justice Demanded by our land. Forward!, the flag of glory, To battle, heroes' blood! For our fatherland's sake Let the rifles sound. Forward! Forward!

All three anthems were created in the 19^th century, during the period of Romantism and National Renaissance.

The first was the Croatian song "Our Beautiful Homeland", written by Antun Mihanović (1796–1861), consul and author. It was published in Ljudevit Gaj's newspaper Danica in 1835, and Josif Runjanin (1821–1878), a Serb from Vinkovci, an officer and musician composed the music to the text in 1846. It was only during the 1891 exhibition of the Croatian-Slavonian business society in Zagreb, where ceremonious songs were played, that the audience liked "Our Beautiful Homeland" the best and in the following years it was sung at all major celebrations and holidays in Croatia, thus becoming the national anthem.

At the time of the National Renaissance in the Habsburg monarchy and the fall of the Metternich regime, Martin Davorin Jenko (1835–1914), and his rebellious compatriat, poet Simon, composed music for the poem "Forward, the Flag of Glory!" in Vienna in 1860 and it was quickly accepted by the Slovenian people and became the national anthem.

Although "O, God of Justice", as a patriotic song, was the last of all three national anthems to be created, it became the first national and state anthem when Serbia was declared a kingdom in February 1882. Ten years before, at the celebration of the 18th birthday of Prince Milan Obrenović and his taking of the throne of Serbia, on August 10, 1872, the musical Markova Sablja (Marko's Sword) was played. "O, God of Justice" was played within the play. The text was written by author, dramatist and Manager of the Serbian National Theatre in Novi Sad and National Theatre in Belgrade Jovan Đorđević. The music was composed by Davorin Jenko, a Slovene who lived and worked in Serbia in the second half of the 19^th century. Prince Milan and the rest of the audience liked it and it was used when the Principality of Serbia was declared the Kingdom of Serbia and when Prince Milan became king in February 1882. Since then, "O, God of Justice" was played at celebrations and holidays as the official national anthem of Serbia. With minor changes, the anthem survived numerous changes of dynasties and in the Serbian society and today is the anthem of the Republic of Serbia.

The original version goes as follows:

When the Kingdom of Yugoslavia disappeared in the April 1941 war, the modified national Serbian-Croat-Slovenian anthem also disappeared from the stage of history. Amid World War II and creation of the new Democratic Federative Yugoslavia, with the proclaimed equality of South Slav peoples "Hey, Slavs" became the temporary anthem.

The text for "Hey, Slavs" was written by Slovak Samuel-Samo Tomašik in Prague in 1834, during the pan-Slavic movement. He gave it the title "Hey, Slovaks" and wrote the instruction that it should be sung to the melody of the Polish song "Jeszczе Polska Nie Zginela". Later, he changed its title and dedicated it to all Slavs. Tomašik’s poem spread quickly and became the anthem of the national call for unity in all Slav countries. The text underwent numerous transformations in most Slav peoples. It was sung as the anthem at the pan-Slavic congress in Prague in 1848, where delegate Vatroslav Lisinski declared himself as the first Yugoslav.

The poem from the South Slav region was first accepted by Slovenes in 1848 and they sung it as "Hey, Slovenians". It was published in the Yugoslav press when the joint state was created in 1918 and it was most intensively used as the Yugoslav anthem from the period of the people's liberation war in 1941-1945 to the breakup of Yugoslavia.

The old pan-Slavic anthem "Hey, Slavs" was reborn when it was played at the opening of the First AVNOJ Session in Bihać on November 26, 1942, at the Second AVNOJ Session in Jajce on November 29/30, 1943, when Tito came to Vis. In the recently liberated country, at the Constitutional Assembly on November 29, 1945, when Yugoslavia became a republic, it was played at the key point and all national deputies got up and started to sing this anthem. "Hey, Slavs" was thus accepted as the temporary anthem.

Hey Slavs!
Hey Slavs! Our grandfather' word still lives, As long as their sons' heart beats for the people. It lives, the spirit of Slavs lives, it will live for centuries, The abyss of hell threatens in vain, the fire of thunder is in vain.	Now let everything above us be carried away by the bura. The rock cracks, the oak breaks, let the ground shake. We stand steadfastly like cliffs; Let the traitor of his homeland be damned!