

Everyone has sung, seen, and heard our contry’s national anthem atleast over 100 times in their life. We hear and sing the words all the time, but we barely pay attention to the words. Its like walking, you just do it and you don’t know the actual meaning for it sometimes. If you actually read the words of our National Anthem then it may get you thinking; Are these words really historically accurate? and What do they actually mean? Well that is what I am going to help you with. We watched a movie in class about the War of 1812 and the movie was 100% historically accurate. Francis Scott Key, the man who wrote the words for the National Anthem, was an American prisoner on one of the British ships that were attacking Fort McHenry. He watched the fort in amazement. He wrote this song because the British were bombarding the fort with rockets and cannonballs. While all this was happening the flag was still waving above the fort with no damage to it. 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 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?
My translation: Oh say can you see, by the morning’s early light, that we cheered so proudly from the sun’s bright light. Whose large stripes and bright stars, through the dangerous fight, over the mounds of earth we watched, were so bravely flowing? And the rockets’ red light, the bombs bursting in air, showed proof through the night that our flag was still standing. Oh say, does that glittering star banner wave over the land of the free and the home of the brave?
The Star-Spangled Banner – Jimi Hendrix United States of America Anthem (The Star-Spangled Banner)