Oh, say, can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hail'd at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, thro' the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watch'd, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof thro' 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 thro' 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 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 wash'd 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 lov'd homes and the war's desolation;
Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the heav'n-rescued land
Praise the Pow'r that hath made and preserv'd us as a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause 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!
This melody was first published in England circa 1780 as To Anacreon in Heaven. The melody was probably written by British composer John Stafford Smith. The words to that song were written by Ralph Tomlinson. Both were members of the Anacreontic Club of London. To Anacreon in Heaven was their theme song. The Anacreontic Club was a group of wealthy men who met to celebrate music, food and drink.
The melody was particularly popular in America during the War of 1812 and several Americans wrote patriotic songs to it. The most famous of these was Francis Scott Key, an American lawyer.
While aboard an English ship trying to secure the release of a friend, Francis Scott Key witnessed the bombardment of Fort McHenry. When the bombardment was over, the American flag was still flying. He wrote a poem The Defense of Fort McHenry, which was first printed anonymously on a broadside in 1814. On September 20 it was published in The Baltimore Patriot. Key's brother-in-law suggested he set the words to the tune To Anacreon in Heaven. When the sheet music was published in 1815, the name was changed to The Star Spangled Banner. The song was first adopted by the army and navy as the national anthem. It was officially recognized as the American National Anthem in 1931 by an act of Congress.
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
Words to Taps
(Note: there are no "official" words to Taps
below are the most popular.)
Day is done,
gone the sun,
From the hills,
from the lake,
From the skies.
All is well,
safely rest,
God is nigh.
Go to sleep,
peaceful sleep,
May the soldier
or sailor,
God keep.
On the land
or the deep,
Safe in sleep.
Love, good night,
Must thou go,
When the day,
And the night
Need thee so?
All is well.
Speedeth all
To their rest.
Fades the light;
And afar
Goeth day,
And the stars
Shineth bright,
Fare thee well;
Day has gone,
Night is on.
Thanks and praise,
For our days,
'Neath the sun,
Neath the stars,
'Neath the sky,
As we go,
This we know,
God is nigh.
Beautiful post, Renee. Memorial Day is one of our holidays most worthy of celebrating. I love the Flander's Fields poem.
Yes, it was wonderful. If you ever get a chance to go with your church, go for it! (Just be careful... It is Mexico, of course. ;-)
I'd been working on the clarinet part since Tuesday. The day of the dress rehearsal. I was actually sight-reading it when we rehearsed, since Kathy had only asked me to do it that morning! Thankfully it was pretty easy...
Well, I don't think I'll get to learn violin till I'm older. I've already successfully gotten a guitar so I want to stick with that. ;)
Well, in a sense the hag/werewolf scene *was* good b/c it showed how we can be tempted by evil. Plus, I really, really loved how Edmund smashed the ice. But I wish it wasn't so scary!
I don't think the romance was necessary either. *sigh*
Oh, I wish they'd made the characters' names more clearer. They are so neat! Trufflehunter's the badger, Nikabrik's the dwarf with black hair, and Trumpkin's the one with red hair. And Reepicheep's the mouse.
Oh, ok, I know what mailing list you're talking about. I'll PM you my email address soon. Maybe, if you want and are allowed, we could e-mail each other... :)
Wonderful post! You did an excellent job and many thanks to all the veterans and those serving now! My grt grandfather was in WW2 and we got to make him a war album last year, which was pretty special. :)
I've seen both movies, and read most of the books. I LOVED Prince Caspian and Voyage Of The Dawn Treader! Reepicheep was so sweet in the movie! How did you like him?
~Abigail
PROBABLY....Lucy..cause she's my favorite...Caspian was all right. At the part when Susan gave him a dirty look (After the part with the White Witch), I said "Hahah. Now she hates his guts." Hehehe
Hello, my fellow citizens of earth, I come in peace. My name is Renee and I am from the planet "Shizzlebackermier" don't ask, for I don't know. I am a homeschooled, Christian girl whose dream is to be a missionary. I hope you have a wonderful time viewing my blog... Over and out. You have just read the "Ramblings On" of Renee from the planet Shizzlebackermier. (please understand this is 50% fiction, please use your own wits to figure out which half is the real half, and which is not. ;-)
Do you wanna' link to me? Would you like the code? Your wish is my command! Just click on one of the three images and... voila!
Verse of the Day
These Are A Few Of My Favorite Quotes...
Only the truly strong and great can be truly tender. Tenderness is a mark of nobility, not of weakness.
James Phillip
Christ uncrowned himself to crown us, and put off his robes to put on our rags, and came down from heaven to keep us out of hell. He fasted forty days that he might feast us to all eternity; he came from heave to earth that he might send us from earth to heaven.
W. Dyer
Jesus Christ did not say, "Go into the world and tell the world that it is quite right.
C.S. Lewis
If God forgives us, we must forgive others. Otherwise it is almost like setting up ourselves as a higher tribunal than him.
C.S. Lewis
We ought to give thanks for all fortune: if it is good, because it is good, if bad, because it works in us patience, humility and the contempt of this world and the hope of our eternal country.
C.S. Lewis
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