#THE STAR SPANGLED BANNER SONG ROCK FREE#
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave. No refuge could save the hireling and slaveįrom the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave,Īnd the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave Their blood has wash’d out their foul footstep’s pollution. That the havoc of war and the battle’s confusionĪ home and a Country should leave us no more? “And where is that band who so vauntingly swore, His reflections on the battles fought before him-including the deaths of slaves-became an oath to patriotism. Key, who was a slaveholder, was watching the Battle of Fort McHenry play out from a British troopship in 1814-the second year of the War of 1812 as he detailed his affection for the country. Aside from the song’s overpowering patriotism, which Black folks have zero reasons to relate to, the third verse of the “Star-Spangled Banner”-which is oft omitted from recitations-does reference slavery. There’s been significant speculation around the context in which one of the song’s verses alludes to one of the darkest corners of history. The discussion gained further momentum after Sunday’s #taketheknee movement when a number of NFL players kneeled during the national anthem. Black Americans have no obligation to honor the national anthem.Ĭolin Kaepernick’s decision to kneel during the anthem last August put the Francis Scott Key song in the limelight.
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