Many thanks to Educational Activities, Inc.for permission to display these lyric excerpts. See all of our Fourth of July and Holiday Song Lyrics O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave. Oh, say does that star spangled banner yet wave, Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there. O’er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?Īnd the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air, What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming, Oh, say can you see by the dawn’s early light, The song has been recorded in a lower key (A flat) to make it easier to sing and to show it can be done the Young Peoples Chorus sings along with Hap Palmer. This is the first verse of the “Star-Spangled Banner.” Breaking it down line-by-line reveals some words and phrases that, despite being sung so often, may not make sense to most people.This song is available on Hap Palmer's Holiday Songs & Rhythms.īecause of the tremendous range, our National Anthem is, unfortunately, a very difficult song to sing, so be patient with your class. O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave? What Does the National Anthem Mean? O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave

Gave proof thro’ the night that our flag was still there.

O’er the ramparts we watch’d, were so gallantly streaming?Īnd the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air, Madison Rising - The Star Spangled Banner Lyrics. Whose broad stripes and bright stars, thro’ the perilous fight, What so proudly we hail’d at the twilight’s last gleaming? O say, can you see, by the dawn’s early light, But the fate of national anthems is that their opening. While Key penned three more verses in addition to the well-known first verse, these are the only words that most Americans know: Francis Scott Key wrote the words to the United States national anthem, The Star-Spangled Banner. Some time later, Key’s brother-in-law paired the poem with the tune of the English drinking song “To Anacreon in Heaven” by John Stafford Smith and began distributing the song as “Defence of Fort M’Henry.” Eventually, the song was published in the Baltimore Patriot newspaper and soon after spread across the country as “The Star-Spangled Banner.” It was played at official events across the nation, officially becoming the national anthem in 1931. Still aboard the British vessel, Key began to pen the words that would later become the American national anthem. After a day and a long night in which Key thought for certain that the American fort was doomed, he was shocked when the early morning light revealed that the American flag was still there.

Lyrics of the star spangled banner song