Tuesday, November 16, 2010

The FOUR verses of The Star Spangled Banner

The Star Spangled Banner

(By Francis Scott Key 1814)


Oh, 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 thru the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket's 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!

Oh! 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!

7 comments:

  1. I'm not smart enough to know what this has to do with your blog (is it the Scott in FSK? Was he Scottish? is it joining the score of Outlander the Musical?), but I do wonder if you got your books yet? Mine is showing as "shipped"....we'll see when it gets here. Can't wait!!

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  2. If you ever want to come to Baltimore to tour Fort McHenry, let me know! It's a good tour that I've done many times!

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  3. Adventures - refresh my memory - have you finished the series?

    Cristina - thanks! And I love Baltimore, too. Totally fun city.

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  4. Adventures...I'm kinda scratching my head, too.

    Splain, Lucy...

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  5. Oh yes! Big books & Lord John. You haven't read LJG, though, right? Right now, I took your advice and downloaded the free DIA so it fills my dishes & cooking hours. I'm afraid to go the post office today because I just feel my new book won't be there yet and that will make me sad )-:

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  6. I realize it was written about the War of 1812 but because it was written about the American Flag, I always think of the Revolutionary War as well. I didn't realize there were 4 verses, either... and thought the MOP peeps might like to see them all.

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  7. Well, maybe she'll have Old Man Jamie write this as a ghostwriter to FSK which would thus justify turning a story about a tone-deaf man into a musical to those out there who aren't as willing to suspend belief as I am (-;

    It was cool to see all the verses, btw. And I actually read them all which has fulfilled my self-improvement for at least a good couple weeks. (-;

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