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The Star Spangled Banner
Oh , s ay, c a n yo u s e e ? By t h e daw n 's e a r ly l ig h t
W h at s o p r o u dly w e h a i l e d at t h e t w i l ig h t 's l a s t g l e a m i n g ;
W ho s e b r oa d s t r i pe s a n d b r ig h t s ta rs ,
t h r o u g h t h e pe r i lo u s f ig h t,
O ' e r t h e r a m pa rts w e watc h e d w e r e s o g a l l a n t ly s t r e a m i n g .
A n d t h e r o c k e t 's r e d g l a r e , t h e b om b s b u rs t i n g i n a i r .
G av e p r o of t h r o u g h t h e n ig h t t h at o u r f l a g wa s s t i l l t h e r e :
Oh , s ay, d oe s t h at s ta r - s pa n g l e d ba n n e r y e t wav e ?
O ' e r t h e l a n d of t h e f r e e a n d t h e hom e of t h e b r av e !
"The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States of America.
The lyrics come from "Defence of Fort M'Henry ", a poem written on September 14, 1814, by the 35-year-old
lawyer and amateur poet Francis Scott Key after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry
by
British ships of the Royal Navy in Baltimore Harbor during the Battle of Baltimore in the War of 1812.
