what is the meaning of the star spangled banner song

The very fact this controversy was surprising may be the most significant thing about it. No refuge could save the hireling and slaveįrom the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave,Īnd the star-spangled banner in triumph doth waveMuch of the debate generated by Kaepernick has been on subjects directly connected to his actions: police brutality, free speech, and the rights and obligations of professional athletes.īut it’s also sparked nationwide discussion of something more tangential that no one saw coming - the meaning and history of “The Star-Spangled Banner” itself, including whether it should be rewritten or replaced entirely. Their blood has wash'd out their foul footstep's pollution. That the havoc of war and the battle's confusionĪ home and a country should leave us no more? O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.Īnd where is that band who so vauntingly swore 'Tis the Star-Spangled Banner, Oh long may it wave In full glory reflected, now shines in the stream Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam, What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,Īs it fitfully blows half conceals, half discloses? Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes, On the shore dimly seen, thro' the mists of the deep, O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

Oh, 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 rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air Whose broad stripes and bright stars, thro' the perilous fight, What so proudly we hail'd at the twilight's last gleaming? Oh, say, can you see, by the dawn's early light, Be sure you and your kids know the words to this anthem that has brought courage and hope to so many during dark times. The lyrics to 'The Star-Spangled Banner' are particularly poignant and meaningful during this time of national mourning and pride.

What is the meaning of the star spangled banner song