Sunday, February 28, 2010

Sing it, fellow Americans

kw: observations, patriotism, music

The gold medal hockey game ended a short while ago, and we stayed tuned to watch the medal ceremony. I noticed, as I've seen before, that nearly all the Canadian athletes can sing "O Canada", their national anthem. We have watched several medal ceremonies, particularly where Americans won the gold, and I've only seen one American singing.

What is wrong with everyone? The words aren't that hard. The tune is a bit more strenuous than most, but with some practice, most people can hit the notes. Here are the words of the first verse; please learn them:
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?
Whenever you are at a ball game or other event where the Anthem is played, Sing it! The U.S.A. is still the freest country on Earth. Most people these days behave like they don't value freedom any more. Use it or lose it. Let us not become the land of the coddled and the home of the craven!

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