Stars and Stripes Forever

by John Philip Sousa

Let martial note in triumph float
And liberty extend its mighty hand
A flag appears 'mid thunderous cheers,
The banner of the Western land.
The emblem of the brave and true
Its folds protect no tyrant crew;
The red and white and starry blue
Is freedom's shield and hope.
Other nations may deem their flags the best
And cheer them with fervid elation
But the flag of the North and South and West
Is the flag of flags, the flag of Freedom's nation.

Hurrah for the flag of the free!
May it wave as our standard forever,
The gem of the land and the sea,
The banner of the right.
Let despots remember the day
When our fathers with mighty endeavor
Proclaimed as they marched to the fray
That by their might and by their right
It waves forever.

Let eagle shriek from lofty peak
The never-ending watchword of our land;
Let summer breeze waft through the trees
The echo of the chorus grand.
Sing out for liberty and light,
Sing out for freedom and the right.
Sing out for Union and its might,
O patriotic sons.
Other nations may deem their flags the best
And cheer them with fervid elation,
But the flag of the North and South and West
Is the flag of flags, the flag of Freedom's nation.

Three cheers for the red, white and blue,
For the red is the blood of our brothers.
The white is the light of the star
That has led us to where we are.
The blue is the hue of the sky
Where on high the Almighty falters never.
Our banner for two hundred years!
Oh pioneers! Here's to the stars and stripes forever!

Lyrics: www.scoutsongs.com

Lyrics can be printed by using the File->Print Preview Commands. They will print in black ink with no images.

This gentle parody, widely known to children and existing in many variations, was sung this way at the end of every episode of the popular 1960s TV series "Sing Along with Mitch."

Be kind to your web-footed friends
For a duck may be somebody's mother
Be kind to your friends in the swamp
Where the weather is very, very damp [pronounced to rhyme with "swamp"]
Now, you may think that this is the end...
WELL, IT IS! [abrupt cut to closing credits]

DISCLAIMER: All the songs contained in this site are believed to be in the public domain. The music and information are intended only for personal enjoyment. I have tried to give credit to every website on which I found either the midi or the lyrics for this file. If there is any material used on this site that the author objects to, it will be removed upon notification