Civil War Lyrics

  • Das Star-Spangled Banner

    This is the first-known translation of Key’s lyric into a non-English language

  • Additional verse for “The Star-Spangled Banner”

    This is the most frequently reprinted additional verse to Key’s lyric; it enthusiastically predicts the end of slavery as a result of the U.S. Civil War

  • Honest Abe of the West

    This lyric was used as a presidential campaign song for Abraham Lincoln’s election in 1860. Verse four shows that his candidacy was based in part on the ending of slavery.

  • Oh Say, Do You Hear?

    This anti-slavery lyric is one of the most powerful and visceral texts ever to be created to the Anacreontic melody.

  • When the Warrior Returns

    Written 9 years before “The Star-Spangled Banner,” this song by Francis Scott Key shows that he knew the melody and poetic form well. This song is the model for “The Star-Spangled Banner.” The text here is taken from the earliest source, but was later slightly revised.

  • President Adams’ Birth Day

    1798—Era & Topic: John Adams “Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet,…

  • Adams and Liberty

    This hugely popular lyric sparked the popularity of The Anacreontic melody in the United States. It also featured a new, decorated arrangement of the tune.

  • Song for George Washington’s Birthday

    This version is sometimes dated erroneously to 1798

  • Freedom Triumphant

    This sheet music contains the first realization of the melody published in the United States.

  • For the Commemoration of the Glorious Fourteenth of July

    This is the first known published American lyric to the Anacreontic melody and the first-known to be written by a woman.

  • To Genêt in New York

    This is the second known published American lyric.

  • An Anacreontic Song

    The first known American parody lyric written to “The Anacreontic Song” is likely by Francis Hopkinson, a signer of the Declaration of Independence.

  • The Anacreontic Song

    This is the original song written for the Anacreontic Society of London with music by composer John Stafford Smith that served as the melodic vechicle for “The Star-Spangled Banner.”