Today we’re going to talk about a song. But not just ANY song. Our topic today is The Star-Spangled Banner, which is the national anthem of the United States of America. This article is part of my more comprehensive article on The Star-Spangled Banner from issue 2 (1/2023) of Your American English Magazine. The words in bold type are explained in more detail in the text.
The Star-Spangled Banner is the national anthem of the United States of America. It started as a poem called The Defence of Fort McHenry, written by Francis Scott Key in 1814 during the War of 1812. The text refers to the battle of Baltimore fought by the American against the British. Here you can see the Fort McHenry 1812 flag:
The national anthem consists of four stanzas. Usually only the first one is sung.
to spangle – to decorate or cover sth with many small, shiny objects — usually used as (be) spangled
national anthem /ˈænθəm/ – a song that praises a particular country and that is officially accepted as the country’s song
verse / stanza /ˈstænzə/ – a group of lines in a poem
So, let’s have a look at the lyrics of the first verse and analyze it line by line. The parts that are highlighted, are explained in more detail. So, here we go:
The 1st Verse
O 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 rocket’s 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?
Vocabulary
Let’s start with the vocabulary. There are some words that might not sound familiar to all of you. Have a look:
hail – to speak of or welcome with praise or enthusiasm
twilight /ˈtwaɪˌlaɪt/ – the light from the sky at the end of the day when night is just beginning
gleam – to shine brightly
perilous – full of danger, dangerous
o’er /ˈoɚ/ – (literary) over
rampart – a tall, thick stone or dirt wall that is built around a castle, town, etc., to protect it from attacks – usually plural
gallant – showing courage, very brave
stream – to move freely in one direction especially in wind or water
glare – a harsh, bright light
I think you should know the other words.
Analysis
And what about the meaning of the first verse? What is it all about? Let’s analyze some parts of the lyrics:
dawn’s early light / at the twilight’s last gleaming
The morning after the battle of Baltimore (September 13, 1814, here referred to as perilous fight) Key saw the flag flying over Fort McHenry. The words DAWN and LIGHT may be understood literally or figuratively as optimism for the new nation. The flag was so big that it could be seen in the last light before the night and the first light at dawn.
broad stripes and bright stars
Until 1818 the flag had 15 stars and 15 stripes.
the rocket’s red glare / the bombs bursting
These refer to the cannon fire from the British navy and from the fort.
our flag was still there
This means American could see in the red glow that the fort hadn’t been captured by the British and the Union Jack (which is the British flag) hadn’t been hoisted. This is the most important line in the song!
the land of the free / the home of the brave
These are references to the fight for independence a few decades before.
If you want to read the analysis of the other three verses, you will find it in issue 2 (1/2022) of Your American English Magazine.