Twas the 13th of September 1814,
and enemy crafts in the harbor are seen.
Stationed in the fort, the bravest stand,
each one willing to lend a hand.
Youth and elder, all ready to perish,
"For here, freedom we cherish"
"Away with you all!" is the haughty cry
"Freemen we are, and freemen we'll die!"
Francis Scott Key was aboard that night
to rescue a friend from dreadful plight.
From dusk to dawn the cannons did roar
While blood and bodies littered the shore.
With anxious eyes and sinking hearts,
Francis and friend watched from the start.
Through cannon's eerie glow,
the flag appeared like glitters in the snow.
"Our flag remains!" is the joyful sigh,
" Keep at it men! Victory is nigh!".
With the rise of the sun,
the battle is done.
And what sees I, quivering in the autumn breeze?
Raising it head above the golden trees?
It's the red, white, and blue!
Battered and torn 'tis true.
But what matters most,
our enemies did not gain the coast!
" Our flag's still there," quote he,
"long may it wave o'er the land of the free,
and the home of the brave!" |
