How many of you actually know the National Anthem?

40 comments

1. Just the first verse that actually gets sung. You go to enough sporting events it becomes easily memorized.

2. I would say most people could sing the first verse with music. There’s probably a decent chunk that couldn’t actually write it down.

   I would also say that most people don’t even know that more verses than that even exist. Almost no one would be able to sing them.

3. The Enrico Palazzo version of the National Anthem is typically acceptable when being sung informally.

4. Not many people can actually hit that high note

5. Yes, I know the first verse of the National Anthem by heart, but it doesn’t surprise me that others don’t. One of our presidents was even caught on camera very obviously struggling with the words.

6. I know the first verse of both the American and the Canadian national anthems by heart because I’m a hockey fan.

7. Just the first verse. We had to memorize it in music class in elementary school. Then I was in the choir, and we’d sing it a few times each basketball season. The other home games I was playing in the band, so at one point I could also play the clarinet part by memory. The band wasn’t required to memorize it, but you play something enough times and you do memorize it.

8. Didn’t we all learn it in school? I did.

9. I can’t recite anymore than the first verse.

   Here’s the full thing if you want to try: https://amhistory.si.edu/starspangledbanner/the-lyrics.aspx

10. I forgot “Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight
    O’er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming? “ which is after the “twilight’s last gleaming” and before the “and the rocket’s red glare” parts.

11. Tell her that unless she can sing the whole song not just the first verse she doesn’t know the who anthem and you win the bet

12. Of course we do. Well, the first verse. 99% don’t know the other three verses.

    I’m shocked that you don’t. Are you 12?

13. I know the 1st verse. Which is all that is ever sung. I was in marching band so I heard it at every pep rally and every football game at my school.

14. I can’t imagine not knowing it, at least the first verse. I’ve been singing that since I was a child. It would be like not knowing the alphabet or the song that never ends.

    I know there are verses after that, but I don’t know what they are.

15. I do. But if it’s any consolation, it’s a common enough thing (in different countries) that the author Terry Pratchett wrote a bit where someone just wrote an anthem that was mostly hums and ‘na’ noises in the middle to save time.

    I also only know the first verse. I know there’s four, but I never really needed the other three.

16. Oh say can you see, by the dawns early light
    What so proudly we hailed, as the twilight last gleaming
    With bright stripes and bright stars,
    Through the perilous something…
    LA da daa daa daaa
    Doo dee do do do do do
    And the rockets red glare
    The bombs bursting in air
    Gave proof through the night
    That our flag was still there.
    Oh say does that star spangled baaaaner yet waaaave
    O’er the land of the FREEEEEE
    And the home of the brave!

    That was from memory. Thank you. Thank you

17. First verse only.

18. First verse? Yes. We learned every word in 1st grade along with My Country ‘Tis of Thee, America the Beautiful, and others. (It was the Bicentennial, so everything was red, white and blue)

    The other verses? Nope. I’ve heard / seen them before (very rarely) but I don’t know them.

19. I know it because I kept watching Whitney Houston sing it at the Super Bowl in the 90s. Fire. Chilling. I only want to hear Whitney sing it. https://youtu.be/N_lCmBvYMRs?si=XAZ4ugqmYmzZDbVE

20. I can, altho for a while in childhood I thought the opening line was, “José, can you see…”

21. Of course! It’s frankly shocking that you don’t.

22. First, second, and fourth. Parts of the third. The third one is almost always ignored. Ol’ Francis was pissed!

    Now ask me about all six verses of the Battle Hymn of the Republic.

23. I know the whole thing by heart, or at least everything that’s typically sung in public:

    >!Oh say can you see / by the dawn’s early light / what so proudly we hailed / at the twilight’s last gleaming? / Whose broad stripes and bright stars / through the perilous fight / o’er the ramparts we watched / were so gallantly streaming? / And the rockets’ red glare / the bombs bursting in air / gave proof through the night / that our flag was still there! / Oh, say does that Star-Spangled Banner yet wave? / O’er the land of the free / And the home of the brave?!<

24. Oh say can you see
    By the dawns early light
    Which so proudly we hailed
    Something Something gleaming…

    That’s all I remember.

25. Of course I do. How do you not even know the first verse?

26. The first verse, yes.

27. I just sang it in my office after reading this post.

    I didn’t even know that I knew the lyrics.

28. A good chunk of Americans would know most of the words, but only a tiny minority could actually sing it due to the full octave + one half octave vocal range that it requires. That takes some major vocal talent.

29. This would surprise me but one time an employee of mine that went to the same high school I did that has great academics assumed that the national capital was NYC. That made me realize how incredibly stupid people are lol

30. This is one of those “it depends on what you’re really asking” questions. As others have pointed out, the national anthem is laid out a lot like church hymns in that there are multiple verses and people often don’t realize it, since the first verse is the only part that ever gets sung.

    But that first verse? I would guess most people would know every word, and virtually everybody would be able to muddle their way through it, at minimum.

    Of potential interest it’s actually a really hard song to sing. Much harder than it seems like at first glance. It’s actually not that unusual for professionals to even occasionally make mistakes.

31. Unless you’re mentally challenged in some way or other, then practically everybody in the U.S. knows it. It’s taught in school, and it’s a requirement to pass the U.S. citizenship test.

32. Something something something, and the home of the Chieeeeeeeeeeefs.

33. My mom made my learn it as a kid. I imagine i could sing it in my sleep

34. I do & I’m not even American. I’m emigrating though, thought I’d better know the words😂🇺🇸

35. Seriously? I thought everyone knew the words to the first verse by heart. I’ve never met anyone who knew the other verses.

36. Yes I know the entire anthem by heart but tradition is only the first verse is sung.

37. Whitney Houston did it quite well. I listen to it and sing along all the time!

38. Been to enough sporting events that i know it by heart.

    That being said, im pretty sure that Fergie doesn’t lmao

39. I am shocked reading this how many people don’t know the national anthem. I’m going to have to ask my friends how many of them actually know it. I assumed it was a thing everybody knew

40. Wait, some people don’t?

    If you don’t know the anthem you are a commie