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, through the perilous fight, o’er the ramparts =
we watched, were so gallantly streaming?
And the =
rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air, gave proof through the =
night that our flag was still there.
O 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, now conceals, now =
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! O 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 wiped 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.
Oh! thus be it =
ever, when freemen shall stand between their loved homes and the war’s =
desolation.
Blest with =
victory and peace, may the heaven-rescued land praise the Power that =
hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer =
we must, for our cause it is just, and this be our motto: "In God =
is our trust."
And the =
star-spangled banner forever shall wave o’er the land of the free and =
the home of the brave!
(The Defense =
of Fort McHenry by Francis Scott Key)
~~
Dr Bob Griffin =
[email protected] =
www.grif.net
"Jesus =
Knows Me, This I Love!"