the lyrics to the star spangled banner song

The Yellow-Haired God and his nine lusty Maids,įrom Helion’s banks will incontinent flee, The Devil, a Goddess, will stay above stairs. If these Mortals are suffered their scheme to pursue, When Old Thunder pretended to give himself airs. The news through Olympus immediately flew The Myrtle of Venus with Bacchus’s Vine.” I’ll lend you my name and inspire you to boot,Īnd besides I’ll instruct you like me, to intwine,

When this answer arrived from the Jolly Old Grecian That he their Inspirer and Patron wou’d be To Anacreon in Heav’n, where he sat in full glee, The full lyrics to To Anacreon in Heaven are: The society chose the famed Greek poet Anacreon as their “patron saint” as he was particularly known for composing odes to merrymaking, women, and wine- among the Anacreon Society’s favorite things. The music was composed by John Stafford Smith and the lyrics are thought to have been written by Ralph Tomlinson, president of the Anacreon Society, which was a popular gentleman’s club in London whose membership were dedicated to “wit, harmony, and the god of wine”. The song itself was first publicly published in The Vocal Magazine in 1778 in London. The original song that used the melody was To Anacreon in Heaven, written sometime between 1760 and the late 1770s, expounding on the virtues of wine. It is known to have been used for at least 84 popular songs in the United States alone, including Adams and Liberty – The Boston Patriotic Song and the subsequent tune Jefferson and Liberty, written after Jefferson was elected President.

The melody that would be borrowed for the Star Spangled Banner was extremely popular and well known at the time the future U.S. The actual flag that flew over Fort McHenry on the morning of September 14, 1814, helping to inspire the Star Spangled Banner

The lyrics to the star spangled banner song