Friday, July 3, 2009

spangle-noun-a small piece of bright metal sewn on fabric for decoration

Do you know what Big pup's favorite song is? It's The Star Spangled Banner. I'm not even kidding. He learned it in Kindergarten last year and it was love at first listen. When it would play on TV--for a sporting event--he would run into the living room and say, "Hey, it's my favorite song!"

His second favorite song is Life Is a Highway because of the Cars movie. I would like to tell him that Tom Cochrane did it so much better than Rascal Flatts but, meh, who wants to argue with a 7 year old?

Anywho, back to The Star Spangled Banner. It was originally written as a poem called Defense of Fort McHenry by Francis Scott Key back in 1814 (hello public domain!). And then it was set to music, renamed, and officially proclaimed as our National Anthem in 1931. There are 4 parts to the song/poem and the first part is what everyone knows but I kind of like the second one, too.

from The Star Spangled Banner by Francis Scott Key

On the shore, dimly seen through 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 in the stream:
'Tis the star-spangled banner! Oh long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Happy Fourth of July!

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8 comments:

  1. My 9 y/o favorite song is My GanG by Rascal Flatts.

    I never knew there were 4 parts though - cool!

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  2. Very nice. And what a patriotic little guy you have!

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  3. can't get into the holidays anymore

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  4. WOW! what a nice little story for Independance Day, July 4th! I love it!! Give BP a big hug from me, and tell him that it is one of my favourite songs too! Happy 4th July!!

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  5. I guess I've never even thought what spangled might mean.

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  6. How sweet! Good song to know thats for sure! It drives me nuts that so many people don't know the words. DOH!

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  7. Well I've learned something new there. I had no idea that your national anthem came about so recently.

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  8. Wow, the other verse to the Star Spangled Banner is very pretty :). Thanks for sharing!

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Thanks for commenting!