Old Drinking Song, Lyrics From 1814, a National Anthem in 1931

On March 3, 1931, The Star Spangled Banner, with words written in 1814 and set to an old drinking song, became the national anthem.

It was September 13, 1814, American was at war with England for the second time since 1776. Francis Scott Key was an attorney attempting to negotiate the return of a civilian prisoner held by the British who had just burned Washington DC and had set their sights on Baltimore. As the British attacked the city, Key watched the naval bombardment from a ship in Baltimore's harbor. In the morning, he could see that the Stars and Stripes still flew over Fort McHenry.

But here's what they didn't tell you:

Yes, Washington, D.C. was burned in 1814, including the President's Home which would later get a fresh coat of paint and be called the "White House." But Washington was torched in retaliation for the burning of York--now Toronto--in Canada earlier in the war.

Key wrote words. But the music comes from an old English drinking song. Good thing it wasn't 99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall.

The Star Spangled Banner did not become the national anthem until 1916 when President Wilson declared it by Executive Order. But that didn't really count. In 1931, it became the National Anthem by Congressional resolution signed by President Herbert Hoover.

Now, here are couple of footnotes to the Francis Scott Key story--his son, Philip Barton Key, was a District attorney in Washington. DC. He was shot and killed by Congressman Daniel Sickles. Sickles was acquitted with the first use of the defense of temporary insanity in 1859. And went on to serve as a Civil War general--and not a very good one.
And speaking of the Civil War, Key's grandson was later imprisoned in Fort McHenry along wit Baltimore's Mayor and other pro-Confederate sympathizers.

Here are some places to learn more about Fort McHenry, Key and the Flag that inspired the National Anthem.
http://www.nps.gov/archive/fomc/home.htm

The images and music in this video are courtesy of the Smithsonian Museum of American History: http://americanhistory.si.ed/starspangledbanner/

This version of the anthem is on 19th century instruments:
http://americanhistory.si.edu/starspangledbanner/mp3/song.ssb.dsl.mp3

 

 

 

Follow Kenneth C. Davis on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kennethcdavis

Comments

[Vinlander]

02:24 PM on 03/03/2010

It isn't really even a good drinking song. I'd rather we had "America, the Beautiful." I suppose "The Internationale" is out of the question.

[jp5472]

04:55 PM on 03/03/2010

I always thought of it this way - obviously when inebriated, the original lyrics and tune must just flow out of the singer (think of Rosanne Barr's rendition)...probably unintelligible words nonetheless, being inebriated.

[heariam]

11:05 AM on 03/03/2010

I wanted to find the words to the old english drinking song but nowhere on the links he gave did it have the words. It would be good to know the original words to the music.
It is good to be refreshed about things like this..

[Kenneth Davis]

11:57 AM on 03/03/2010

According to Poem of the Week,(potw.org) these are the original lyrics:

http://www.potw.org/archive/potw234.html

[jp5472]

05:00 PM on 03/03/2010

More power to whomever sang that! Inebriated or not, what a mouthful!

[jp5472]

10:58 AM on 03/03/2010

Great background history on our National Anthem and the author of its lyrics. I always thought it wasn't the best choice as our anthem, especially when some 25-30 years ago I learned that the music was actually an old English drinking song. I remember thinking at the time that for a country that now led the world and had fought two wars (plus the British helping the Confederacy during the Civil War) against the British, we should adopt their drinking song as an anthem!? What were Wilson and then Hoover thinking?