Happy Birthday To My Favorite Song!
Ah, the lyrics of "Defence of Fort M'henry" and that timeless melody of "Anacreon in Heaven" came together on this day 200 years ago to create the song which would become our national anthem, the Star Spangled Banner. For as much as I love Christmas songs, there is one song which I treasure above all others. I have sung along to it countless times as I gazed upon and saluted my beautiful Stars and Stripes. It has accompanied the Flag of the United States as I celebrated with military friends getting promoted, while others changed command, and most significant to me when I said goodbye; whether they were retiring from service or draping the coffin of a buddy who had paid the ultimate price for our freedom. Few people have ever sung the whole thing. You may not know the song has 5 stanzas; the part we sing is just the first. Another thing you may not know is the first stanza, our recognized "National Anthem" ends in a question mark. It's closing