The Star Spangled Banner (All of it.)

In preparing materials for my ESL class, I came across the complete version of our National Anthem, all four verses of it.

Seems as though we've lost something of the passions listed therein. These days it seems a "social crime" to be patriotic and God-fearing, except on 7/4.

Well, happy early 4th of July! Enjoy!

The Star Spangled Banner

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, 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.
O 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, now conceals, now discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines on the stream:
'Tis the star-spangled banner! O 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 wiped out their foul footstep's 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 homes and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heaven-rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, for our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner forever shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!


Historical Notes on the Birth of our National Anthem

The Star Spangled Banner, the National Anthem of the United States of America, is a poem inspired by the Battle of Baltimore, fought September 12-14, 1814.

During the British campaign against Washington, D.C., an elderly and respected physician, Dr. William Beanes was arrested for unfriendly acts toward British soldiers. Francis Scott Key, a prominent lawyer and friend of Dr. Beanes was sent by President James Madison to obtain his release.

Following negotiations, the British agreed to release Beanes; however, since the British were next going to attack Baltimore, Maryland, they would allow no one ashore. The British made land on September 12th and engaged in a brisk land battle; however, they were not able to capture Baltimore. As part of their two-pronged attack, the British sent their naval fleet to attack and destroy the port city. The main defense of Baltimore Harbor was Fort McHenry. For 25 hours, the British fleet fired rockets and bombs at the fort. The fort's defenders bravely withstood the bombardment and did not surrender. When the British realized they could not take the city without paying for it with heavy casualties, they departed.

During the bombardment, Key, watching down river, was inspired to write a poem telling the story of the battle he witnessed. Thus it was the valiant defense of Fort McHenry by American forces during the British attack on September 13, 1814 that inspired the 35-year old poet-lawyer Francis Scott Key to write the poem which was to become our national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner."

When Key reached Baltimore, he finished the poem, written to match the meter of the English song, "To Anacreon in Heaven." The song slowly grew in popularity and was well-known and used by both the North and South during the Civil war. In later years, it was very popular with the military and was used as an "unofficial" national anthem. During World War I, the song became so widely accepted that a drive resulted in Congress making it the National Anthem in 1931.

~Adapted from http://www.twilightbridge.com/