A Shocking end to a TEA party Event in GA

[Guest Sgt. Joe]

I just had to post this......Talk about chill bumps......WOW:)

[Guest Glock23ForMe]

Wow...

:clap:

[Guest mustangdave]

WOW...wiping tears from my eyes...just WOW

[Guest Sgt. Joe]

After a little looking it seems the man was singing the 4th verse of the song, it has been way too long since I've heard it all. But I've still got chill bumps from that.

Here is the Whole Song.

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 rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,

Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.

Oh, 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 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!

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 washed 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!

Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand

Between their loved home and the war's desolation!

Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land

Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.

Then conquer we must, when our cause it 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!

[Capbyrd]

Indeed sir. Merely a poem, turned into an anthem. And yet way too many know nothing about it. Very sad.

[ttocswob]

Ran across this, along with a related article, by non other than Issac AsimovAll Four Stanzas

By Isaac Asimov

Introductory Note. Unless you're already well acquainted with our "national anthem," this interesting piece by the late Isaac Asimov will be an eye-opener. It was for me. It's especially appropriate at a time when there is much talk of tossing out this difficult-to-sing and difficult-to-comprehend old song in favor of something that better suits Ray Charles' voice. You'll understand the song much better after you read Mr. Asimov's explanation.--Hardly Waite, Gazette Senior Editor.

I have a weakness--I am crazy, absolutely nuts, about our national anthem.

The words are difficult and the tune is almost impossible, but frequently when I'm taking a shower I sing it with as much power and emotion as I can. It shakes me up every time.

I was once asked to speak at a luncheon. Taking my life in my hands, I announced I was going to sing our national anthem--all four stanzas.

This was greeted with loud groans. One man closed the door to the kitchen, where the noise of dishes and cutlery was loud and distracting. "Thanks, Herb," I said.

"That's all right," he said. "It was at the request of the kitchen staff."

I explained the background of the anthem and then sang all four stanzas.

Let me tell you, those people had never heard it before--or had never really listened. I got a standing ovation. But it was not me; it was the anthem.

More recently, while conducting a seminar, I told my students the story of the anthem and sang all four stanzas. Again there was a wild ovation and prolonged applause. And again, it was the anthem and not me.

So now let me tell you how it came to be written.

In 1812, the United States went to war with Great Britain, primarily over freedom of the seas. We were in the right. For two years, we held off the British, even though we were still a rather weak country. Great Britain was in a life and death struggle with Napoleon. In fact, just as the United States declared war, Napoleon marched off to invade Russia. If he won, as everyone expected, he would control Europe, and Great Britain would be isolated. It was no time for her to be involved in an American war.

At first, our seamen proved better than the British. After we won a battle on Lake Erie in 1813, the American commander, Oliver Hazard Perry, sent the message "We have met the enemy and they are ours." However, the weight of the British navy beat down our ships eventually. New England, hard-hit by a tightening blockade, threatened secession.

Meanwhile, Napoleon was beaten in Russia and in 1814 was forced to abdicate. Great Britain now turned its attention to the United States, launching a three-pronged attack. The northern prong was to come down Lake Champlain toward New York and seize parts of New England. The southern prong was to go up the Mississippi, take New Orleans and paralyze the west. The central prong was to head for the mid-Atlantic states and then attack Baltimore, the greatest port south of New York. If Baltimore was taken, the nation, which still hugged the Atlantic coast, could be split in two. The fate of the United States, then, rested to a large extent on the success or failure of the central prong.

The British reached the American coast, and on August 24, 1814, took Washington, D. C. Then they moved up the Chesapeake Bay toward Baltimore. On September 12, they arrived and found 1000 men in Fort McHenry, whose guns controlled the harbor. If the British wished to take Baltimore, they would have to take the fort.

On one of the British ships was an aged physician, William Beanes, who had been arrested in Maryland and brought along as a prisoner. Francis Scott Key, a lawyer and friend of the physician, had come to the ship to negotiate his release. The British captain was willing, but the two Americans would have to wait. It was now the night of September 13, and the bombardment of Fort McHenry was about to start.

As twilight deepened, Key and Beanes saw the American flag flying over Fort McHenry. Through the night, they heard bombs bursting and saw the red glare of rockets. They knew the fort was resisting and the American flag was still flying. But toward morning the bombardment ceased, and a dread silence fell. Either Fort McHenry had surrendered and the British flag flew above it, or the bombardment had failed and the American flag still flew.

As dawn began to brighten the eastern sky, Key and Beanes stared out at the fort, trying to see which flag flew over it. He and the physician must have asked each other over and over, "Can you see the flag?"

After it was all finished, Key wrote a four stanza poem telling the events of the night. Called "The Defence of Fort M'Henry," it was published in newspapers and swept the nation. Someone noted that the words fit an old English tune called "To Anacreon in Heaven" --a difficult melody with an uncomfortably large vocal range. For obvious reasons, Key's work became known as "The Star Spangled Banner," and in 1931 Congress declared it the official anthem of the United States.

Now that you know the story, here are the words. Presumably, the old doctor is speaking. This is what he asks Key

Oh! say, can you see, by the dawn's early light,

W hat so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?

Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight,

O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?

And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,

Gave proof thro' the night that our flag was still there.

Oh! say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave,

O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

"Ramparts," in case you don't know, are the protective walls or other elevations that surround a fort. The first stanza asks a question. The second gives an answer

On the shore, dimly seen thro' the mist 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. Oh! long may it wave

O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

"The towering steep" is again, the ramparts. The bombardment has failed, and the British can do nothing more but sail away, their mission a failure.

In the third stanza, I feel Key allows himself to gloat over the American triumph. In the aftermath of the bombardment, Key probably was in no mood to act otherwise.

During World War II, when the British were our staunchest allies, this third stanza was not sung. However, I know it, so here it is

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 washed out their foul footstep's 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.

The fourth stanza, a pious hope for the future, should be sung more slowly than the other three and with even deeper feeling.

Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand

Between their loved 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 preserved us a nation.

Then conquer we must, for our cause is just,

And this be our motto--"In God is our trust."

And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave

O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

I hope you will look at the national anthem with new eyes. Listen to it, the next time you have a chance, with new ears.

And don't let them ever take it away.

--Isaac Asimov, March 1991

[Sean S.]

Pretty cool!

[Guest Straight Shooter]

I CANNOT BELIEVE MY EYES AND EARS. IM UTTERLY SPEECHLESS.

THANK YOU SGT. JOE FOR POSTING THIS.

[Guest Tiny G]

Nice find. . . and good info, I'd never seen that 3rd verse before. My church hymnbook has the 1st, 2nd, and 4th verses.

[Guest GallatinTN]

That was awesome.

[Guest redbarron06]

Absolutly awesome.

[Guest Plainsman]

I'd like to buy that man a beer or two...

[sigrug17]

True Patriot...Awesome...

[9teeneleven]

Actually it wasn't our anthem until 1931. A nice performance, but I thought the tea party was big on preserving and protecting the constitution. Did they miss the bit about separation of church and state?

[Mike.357]

that guy is awesome, saw it on the news. Hats off to him!

[ShamGlock]

amazing

[Guest bkelm18]

Actually it wasn't our anthem until 1931. A nice performance, but I thought the tea party was big on preserving and protecting the constitution. Did they miss the bit about separation of church and state?

Well, if we're going to get technical about it... the constitution says nothing about the separation of church and state. What the constitution does say under Article VI is:

This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding.

Now, separation of church and state comes from the Treaty of Tripoli in Article 11:

As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion...

So the power granted by the constitution that treaties become the law of the land, so does the Treaty of Tripoli, which says in part that our government is not based on religion. Which I wholeheartedly agree with, but the constitution does not directly address.

[Guest jackdm3]

I'm reminded of the movie "Amadeus" where the Emporer tells Mozart his work is too long.

Emperor Joseph II: My dear young man, don't take it too hard. Your work is ingenious. It's quality work. And there are simply too many notes, that's all. Just cut a few and it will be perfect.

Mozart: Which few did you have in mind, Majesty?

Don't know the story on shortening 4 verses to 3, but I think they thought the crowds at sporting events couldn't take it all, or they just wanted to get right to the main event. Having never heard the 4th verse, I thought he was making it up to the original tune. Shame I couldn't hear all of his words.

[hipower]

Chills. Tears. And pride in the old gentleman who sang. Thank You, Sir.

[Guest 6.8 AR]

Actually it wasn't our anthem until 1931. A nice performance, but I thought the tea party was big on preserving and protecting the constitution. Did they miss the bit about separation of church and state?

There can be no separation of church and state if there is no state religion.

They didn't miss anything. And yes, they are about preserving and protecting

the Constitution.

This secularist stuff is allowed by the Constitution just like every religion is.

Depends on one's choice, doesn't it?

That man had a great voice. I sure didn't expect that.

[Guest jackdm3]

That man had a great voice. I sure didn't expect that.

Yeah, kinda like Susan Boyle. Save for the dude not looking like a lady.

[Guest 6.8 AR]

That flew right over my head, Jack:screwy:

[Guest jackdm3]

I thought you were saying you didn't expect that voice to come out of that man when you say, "I sure didn't expect that."

Did you see the surprising performance she did on "Britain's Got Talent?"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY

Edited June 8, 2010 by jackdm3

[Guest 6.8 AR]

I get it:D I was just paying the guy a compliment. I remember her, too. She has a great

voice, also.

[Guest Straight Shooter]

The "seperation of church and state" thing is pissing me off a lot lately. Seems that is the go to phrase they like to use more than any.

Whats odd to me is, they love abortion, when our Declaration of Independence CLEARLY says we have a right to LIFE, Liberty, and pursuit of happiness.

We have a freedom OF religion, not from it. One of the next big civil wars in America WILL BE over religious freedom in this country. I have NEVER, EVER, EVER heard of ONE single person, or child, or group, or organization being FORCED to pray, or take part in any religious activities. NEVER, and none of you have either. But I damn sure have heard of HUNDREDS of instances where religious people have been denied ther rights. My Lord and Saviour teaches peace, and, in SOME instances, to turn the other cheek. As I have in other ways...I fail at that a lot. I will NOT sit back, and watch PRIMARILY Christians picked out, singled out, while the ISLAMISTS, with their agenda and jihad and death they cause, while "animal rights" nutcases get their way, while ATHEISTS like Bill Mahr get all the airtime he wants to belittle and ridicule Christians, and religious people. Its ABC in America boys n girls....Anybody But Christians. Ill be slappin iron the first time someone lays a hand on me for doing it, I dont care who it is.

Edited June 8, 2010 by Straight Shooter