STARS AND STRIPES FOREVER, THE
Lyrics: Charles Burr, Thomas T. Frost - Music: John Philip Sousa

The Mormon Tabernacle Choir with the Columbia Symphonic Band


John Philip Sousa came back to earth one day;
He looked around at what he found here,
All the contradictions that abound here,
Good surviving, evil thriving, everything in disarray ...
With frown and mouth turned upside down,
He said "This'll never do! Dead level never do!
Don't they know to show some pride in who they are?
The pioneers of former years
Were not without their doubts and woes and fears,
But they know well the love of God
Would never let them go astray!

But here today where there's no fear
Of dark in the wilderness, some are in wilderness.
They must shift and lift their gaze to some new star.
By a star in the east the least of men
Once were succoured in time of needing,
For the star promised peace to those in pain,
And from Galilee was westwardly proceeding.

With the star of the West the best of men
Now are siding in their endeavor
To restore as of yore their country's pride
In the glory of the stars and stripes forever.

Three cheers for the Red, White and Blue,
For the red is the blood of our brothers.
The white is the light of the star
That has led us to where we are.
The blue is the hue of the sky
Where on high the Almighty falters never.
Our banner for two hundred years!
Oh, pioneers! Here's to the Stars and Stripes forever!"



(Contributed by Lou Rugani - The Music of the Stars (WLIP) - October 2012)