Album: Strictly Sousa (1896)

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• 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.
  
  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 might endeavor
  Proclaimed as they marched to the fray,
  That by their might and by their right
  It waves forever. Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 6

• Qurare from Illinoisthis song is intensely meaningful to me as an American. ashamed to say that until now i only knew "web-footed friend" lyrics. somehow that just seems disrespectful
• Wendy from WisconsinFor many years, I only knew the lyrics for the trio (it was in a children's music textbook my family had). I was an adult before I learned that the rest of the song had lyrics, too, penned by Sousa himself. Pity you rarely hear the trio sung; I don't think I've ever heard a recording of the rest being sung.
  
  Though I like the Carol Burnett version:
  "You may think that this is the end
  Well, it is."
• Pj Williamson from Weaverville NcIt is the best song and for my preschoolers
• Taylor from Missouri For my music appreciation class I had to find a song from a certain time period, so I chose stars and stripes forever. For my project one of the things I had to find was the meaning of the song. After I had looked for the meaning of the song, and couldn't find it anywhere I found this website. Then I found the meaning, and it was very meaningful.
• Leah from Brooklyn, NyThose words were used at the end of the program every week by the Singers on the on the SING ALONG WITH MITCH Show (1961) Lalah.
• Lalah from Wasilla, AkThere are words to this : "Be kind to your webfooted friends, For aduck may be somebody's mother. Be kind you your friends in the swamp. Where the wheather very, very damp. Now you may think that this is the end. But it goes on a little bit further. Then it stops." Ok, they're not official but every time we played it in band, we sung along to the middle -repeat.

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