- Top Features:
- War Room
- Glenn Greenwald
- Broadsheet
- Joan Walsh
- Camille Paglia
- Since You Asked
- Follow Salon:
Read other letters about this article
Like most Americans, I am shocked! Shocked that evil people would sink so low in their attempt to destroy our fine country as rewriting our sacred national anthem. We need a law requiring that only the original lyrics may be used in public or private (all those bugged phones would help us enforce this law).
And, just in case people forget them, here are the original lyrics to that tune, written long before Francis Scott Key broke the law I hope we will soon have on the books:
To Anacreon in Heaven, where he sat in full glee,
A few sons of Harmony sent a petition,
That He their Inspirer and Patron would be;
When this answer arrived from the Jolly Old Grecian
"Voice, Fiddle, and Flute,
"no longer be mute,
"I'll lend you my Name and inspire you to boot,
"And, besides, I'll insruct you like me to entwine
"The Myrtle of Venus with Bacchus's Vine."
Yes, it's true. Key stole the tune from an old English drinking song. See http://www.bcpl.net/~etowner/anacron2.html for details.
