Estimated reading time 3 minutes
Table of Contents
US Star Spangled Banner (Lyrics and Song) #1: What You’ve Got for Options
Do you want to know the words to the US Star Spangled Banner? Would you like to learn how to sing or play it? In this post, you’ll get: 1) all four verses for The Star Spangled Banner song lyrics, 2) a video of Whitney Houston’s version of The Star Spangled Banner, and 3) easy-to-read shape note sheet music with a sing along song track. Keep reading to learn the national anthem lyrics and music.
This article uses musical terms. For definitions, see the Glossary at the end of the post.
US Star Spangled Banner (Lyrics and Song) #2: Lyrics to the American National Anthem (All Four Verses)
Here is the US Star Spangled Banner lyrics for the song. The video of Whitney Houston singing The Star Spangled Banner is up next after this.
Verse 1:
Oh, say can you see, by the dawn’s early light,
What so proudly we hail’d at the twilight’s last gleaming,
Whose stripes and bright stars, thro’ the perilous fight
O’er the ramparts we watch’d, 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.
Verse 2:
On the shore dimly seen, thro’ 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.
Verse 3:
And where is that band who so vauntingly swore,
‘Mid the havoc of war and the battle’s confusion,
A home and a country they’d leave us no more?
Their blood has wash’d 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.
Verse 4:
Oh, thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war’s desolation;
Blest with vict’ry and peace, may the heav’n rescued land
Praise the power that hath made and preserv’d 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.
US Star Spangled Banner (Lyrics and Song) #3: Whitney Houston and the Star Spangled Banner
This section contains the video of Whitney Houston singing The Star Spangled Banner, and the next section has the Us Star Spangled Banner sheet music.
Video: Whitney Houston and the Star Spangled Banner
US Star Spangled Banner (Lyrics and Song) #4: The American National Anthem Sheet Music
The melody we’ll use for US Star Spangled Banner (Lyrics and Song) comes from sheet music published in 1886. Despite some slight variations on the melody, it’s much like current versions of the American national anthem, such as Whitney Houston’s version of The Star Spangled Banner
Need a refresher on shape note singing? These posts cover the basics:
For a review of rhythm:
Here is the shape note notation for the US Star Spangled Banner.
Mobile users: for best results reading the music, tilt your screen 90o to the right.
The Star Spangled Banner Sing Along Song Track:
The sing along song track uses synthetic voices rather than actual voices. Research has shown that this will help with the ability to identify and produce absolute pitch information. For more information:
US Star Spangled Banner (Lyrics and Song) #5: Final Thoughts
This post gives you three choices on how to interact with the US Star Spangled Banner Lyrics and Song:
- You can learn the Star Spangled Banner song lyrics.
- Alternatively, you can use the video to sing along with Whitney Houston and The Star Spangled Banner.
- Or you can use the easy-to-read shape note notation for the American national anthem.
Related Posts
© 2024 Geoffrey Keith
Join me for in-person or online lessons today!
Glossary
Flexibility in Supplemented Equal Temperament’s Theory
Can Supplemented Equal Temperament help you coordinate your guitar and synth tunings so they sound good? A wide range of Supplemented Equal Temperament (SET) charts and preexisting EDOs (equal-division-of-the-octave tunings) can fit under the umbrella of SET. This gives you a lot of control over how you tune your guitars, ukuleles, banjos, and synths. This in turn will allow your whole ensemble to sound better in tune. Read more to learn about the flexibility in Supplemented Equal Temperament’s theory. Estimated reading time 5 minutes.
Read More
Why Do Pianists Occasionally Play Their Hands at Different Times as They Perform
Are you confused by the squiggly lines in the score? Have you ever wondered, “Why do pianists occasionally play their hands at different times as they perform?” Answer: because it makes the music sound sophisticated and plays an important stylistic role in piano music. Click if you’d like to learn how it works. Estimated reading time 2 minutes.
Read More
Playing Piano with Color Coded Left Hand Notes and Rhythm
Would you like to introduce your kid to piano? (Or are you a music teacher who has a student with learning difficulties?) Multisensory teaching methods will help! Click to learn about playing piano with color coded left hand notes and rhythm. Estimated reading time 2 minutes.
Read More
How Do Guitar Harmonics Work?
So, you play an open string, and it gives you one note. You play the harmonic over the 12th fret, and you get another note. You do the same thing over the 5th and 7th frets, and you get still more notes. However, they don’t relate to the frets at all. You scratch your head, wondering, “How do guitar harmonics work?” Don’t worry, you just need to understand how strings vibrate. Read more to answer the question, how do guitar harmonics work? Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
Read More