O! say can you see by the dawn’s early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming.
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,
O’er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming.
And the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe’s haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o’er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning’s first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines in the stream:
”˜Tis the star-spangled banner! Oh long may it wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle’s confusion,
A home and a country should leave us no more!
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps’ pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
O! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war’s desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav’n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: ”˜In God is our trust.’
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
–Francis Scott Key (1779-1843)
As that last stanza shows, Francis Scott Key was a devout Christian. Indeed, he was a faithful Anglican. And one of the founders of Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria. We should be proud to claim him as one of our own (those of us who are orthodox Anglicans, that is).
David Handy+
(my 1600th post!)
…and He loves us here, even in America!
Great song at this link! ==>> [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCUfIT5Lm3g]Here in America[/url]
I am indeed sad that the last verse is sung so infrequently.
Cadets at the Air Force Academy have to memorize and sing all four verses. It’s been 26 years and the 2nd and 3rd aren’t so familiar, but the 4th is.
And the woman who sang other words to the music–although I do like the words she sang–has totally missed out on the significance of this anthem.
I never even knew there was a third verse. Shows you what a public education gives you.
…err 4th verse.
Heh…
Verse 3 is no longer politically correct since we’re on good terms with Her Majesty and the UK. Though, I like it.
The tune was came from a London men’s club, The Anacreontic Society, a group of professionals who were also amateur musicians. Lyrics can be found on the Internet. One would guess that at the beginning of a meeting, it could be sung well. However, after a few pints, it must have been interesting…
The tune has gone through all sorts of transformations over the years.
It is amazing that something so terse and unambiguous could be written by a lawyer. Kidding aside, if you’ve never read the history of this poem/song and the importance of the Battle for Fort McHenry, it would be worth your time. Even Wikipedia got it right.
Great inspiration and words. Terrible tune. I have always felt the National Hymn (“God of our fathers…”) would have made a much better anthem. It is always embarassing to hear ours alongside the majestic tunes of other nations. Even the old Soviet “Internationale” was inspiring.
Hymnal trivia: How many tunes of current or former national anthems are in the Hymnal?
Answer: at least four: US, England, Germany, and Russia.
The music is unsing-able for most people. This makes it a sorry mistake for a national anthem. America the Beautiful is much more accessible and its lyrics are no more pretentious posturing than the national anthem’s. Put this music against the Canadian national anthem to see the difference in sing-ability. Why a national anthem’s lyrics have to be untempered jingoism, I do not know, but such appears to be universally the case. I would certainly look forward to seeing the national anthem deep sixed. Suppose we took the music to Oh Shanandoah and rewrote the lyrics? A strong, distinctive melody, and within reach or virtually all voices. LM
Correction: America the Beautiful’s lyrics are superior in every way to the jingoism of the national anthem. I cannot imgine why I wrote what I wrote. Larry