Saturday, April 29, 2006

Old School Songwriting


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 instruct you like me to entwine
The myrtle of Venus and Bacchus's vine.


Does that sound familiar? It should. Click through the headline to see the rest of the verses and hear a truly annoying midi file version of To Anacreon In Heaven, a British drinking song from the 1780's that was popular in America during the War of 1812. Several writers composed patriotic lyrics for the song but the most famous of these is the version penned by Francis Scott Key.

On Friday President Bush said that the Anthem should be sung in English using the original words. So be it. There's the first verse. When you've got that down, go find the rest. Your President says you have four more verses to learn.

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