United States Flag Poetry, Prose and Lyrics

[Moderator]

You're A Grand 'Ole Flag or You're A Grand Old Flag
Music and lyrics by George M. Cohan


Short version ...

You're a grand old flag,
You're a high flying flag
And forever in peace may you wave.
You're the emblem of
The land I love.
The home of the free and the brave.

Ev'ry heart beats true
'neath the Red, White and Blue,
Where there's never a boast or brag.
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
Keep your eye on the grand old flag.

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Complete version ...

You're a grand old flag,
You're a high flying flag,
And forever in peace may you wave.
You're the emblem of the land I love,
The home of the free and the brave.
Ev'ry heart beats true
'Neath the Red, White and Blue.
Where there's never a boast or a brag.
But should auld acquaintance be forgot,
Keep your eyes on the grand old flag!

There's a feeling comes a-stealing,
And it sets my brain a-reeling,
When I'm listening to the music of a military band.
Any tune like "Yankee Doodle"
Simply sets me off my noodle,
It's that patriotic something that no one can understand.

"Way down South, in the land of cotton",
Melody untiring,
Ain't that inspiring?
Hurrah! Hurrah! We'll join the Jubilee!
And that's going some,
For the Yankees, by gum!
Red, white and blue, I am for you!
Honest, you're a grand old flag!

You're a Grand Old Flag
You're a high flying flag
And forever, in peace, may you wave!
You're the emblem of the land I love,
The home of the free and the brave!

Ev'ry heart beats true 'neath the Red, White, and Blue,
Where there's never a boast or brag.
But should auld acquaintance be forgot
Keep your eye on the Grand Old Flag!

I'm a cranky hanky panky,
I'm a dead square, honest Yankee,
And I'm mighty proud of that old flag
That flies for Uncle Sam.

Though I don't believe in raving
Ev'ry time I see it waving,
There's a chill runs up my back that makes me glad I'm what I am.

Here's a land with a million soldiers,
That's if we should need 'em,
We'll fight for freedom!

Hurrah! Hurrah! For every Yankee tar
And old G.A.R.
Ev'ry stripe, ev'ry star.
Red, white and blue,
Hats off to you
Honest, you're a grand old flag!

You're a Grand Old Flag
You're a High Flying Flag
And forever, in peace, may you wave!
You're the emblem of the land I love,
The home of the free and the brave!

Ev'ry heart beats true 'neath the Red, White, and Blue,
Where there's never a boast or brag.
But should auld acquaintance be forgot
Keep your eye on the Grand Old Flag!

You're a grand old flag,
You're a high flying flag
And forever in peace may you wave.
You're the emblem of
The land I love.
The home of the free and the brave.
Ev'ry heart beats true
'neath the Red, White and Blue,
Where there's never a boast or brag.
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
Keep your eye on the grand old flag.

[Moderator]

Face The Flag
By Bill Ezell


Face the Flag of stars and bars
Of red and white and blue
A flag that guarantees the rights
For men like me and you

Face the Flag, son! Read what's written there
The history, the progress and the heritage we share
Our flag reflects the past, son, but stands for so much more
And in this Age of Aquarius, it still flies in the fore

It leads the forward movement, shared by all mankind
To learn ... to love ... to live with peace of mind
To learn the mysteries of space, as well as those of earth
To love each man for what he is, regardless of his birth
To live without the fear of reprisal for belief
To ease the tensions of a world that cries out for relief

Face the Flag of stars and bars
Of red and white and blue
A flag that guarantees the rights
For men like me and you

Face the Flag, son! Take a good long look
What you're seeing now can't be found in a history book
It's the present and the future, son. It's being written now
And you're the one to write it, but the flag can show you how

Do you know what it stands for? What its makers meant?
To think ... to speak ... the privilege of dissent
To think our leaders might be wrong ... to stand and tell them so
These are the things that other men under other flags will never know
But responsibility ... that's the cross that free men must bear
And if you don't accept that, the freedom isn't there

Face the Flag of stars and bars
Of red and white and blue
A flag that guarantees the rights
For men like me and you

Face the Flag, son, and face reality
Our strengths and our freedoms are based in unity
The flag is but a symbol, son, of the world's greatest nation
And as long as it keeps flying, there's cause for celebration

So do what you've got to do, but always keep in mind
A lot of people believe in peace ... but there are the other kind
If we want to keep these freedoms, we may have to fight again
God forbid, but if we do, let's always fight to win
For the fate of a loser is futile and it's bare
No love, no peace ... just misery and despair

Face the Flag, son ... and thank God it's still there

[Moderator]

I Am The Flag


I am the Flag of the United States of America
My name is Old Glory
I fly atop the world's tallest buildings
I stand watch in America's halls of justice
I fly majestically over institutions of learning
I stand guard with power in the world
Look up at me and see me

I stand for peace, honor, truth and justice
I stand for freedom
I am confident
I am arrogant
I am proud
When I am flown with my fellow banners
My head is a little higher, my colors a little truer

I bow to no one
I am recognized all over the world
I am worshipped
I am saluted
I am loved
I am revered
I am respected and I am feared

I was flown at Valley Forge, Gettysburg, Shiloh and Appomatox
I was there at San Juan Hill, the trenches of France, in the Argonne Forest
Anzio, Rome and the beaches of Normandy, Guam, Okinawa
Korea and KheSan, Saigon, Vietnam know me
I was there
I led my troops
I was dirty, battle worn and tired, but my soldiers cheered me and I was proud

I have been burned, torn and trampled on the streets of countries I have helped set free
It does not hurt, for I am invincible
I have been soiled upon, burned, torn and trampled on the streets of my own country
And when it's by those whom I've served in battle - it hurts
But I shall overcome, for I am strong
I have slipped the bonds of Earth and stood watch over the uncharted frontiers of space from my vantage point on the moon
I have borne silent witness to all of America's finest hours, but my finest hours are yet to come

When I am torn into strips and used as bandages for my wounded comrades on the battlefield
When I am flown at half-mast to honor my soldier
Or when I lie in the trembling arms of a grieving parent at the grave of their fallen son or daughter, I am proud
My name is Old Glory
Long may I wave
Dear God in heaven
Long may I wave

[Moderator]

I Am Your Flag


I am your Flag, the silent sentinel of freedom.
I am the emblem of the greatest sovereign nation on earth.
I am the inspiration for which American Patriots gave their lives and fortunes.

I have led your sons into battle from Valley Forge to the bloody swamps of Vietnam.
I walk in silence with each of your honored dead, to their final resting place beneath the silent white crosses, row upon row.
I have flown through peace and war, strife and prosperity, and amidst it all I have been respected.

My red stripes symbolize the blood spilled in defense of this glorious nation.
My white stripes signify the burning tears shed by Americans who lost their sons.
My blue field is indicative of the heaven under which I fly.
My stars, clustered together, unify 50 states as one.

Old Glory is my nickname, and proudly I wave on high.
Honor me, respect me, defend me with your lives and your fortunes.
Never let my enemies tear me down from my lofty position, lest I never return.
Keep alight the fires of patriotism, strive earnestly for the spirit of democracy.

I am your Flag

[Moderator]

So, You Want To Burn The Flag
By Tom Adkins


To those who want to burn the Flag ... just ask permission.

Does the First Amendment give us the right to desecrate the American flag? Or is the flag a sacred symbol of our nation, deserving protection by law?

Tough call?

The solution ...

For those who want to light Old Glory on fire, stomp all over it, or spit on it to make some sort of statement, I say let them do it. But under one condition ... they MUST get permission from three "sponsors".

First, you need permission of a war Veteran ... perhaps a Marine who fought at Iwo Jima. The American flag was raised over Mount Suribachi over the bodies of thousands of dead buddies. Each night spent on Iwo meant half of everyone you knew would be dead tomorrow, a coin flip away from a bloody end upon a patch of sand your mother couldn't find on a map.

Or maybe ask a Vietnam vet who spent years tortured in a small, filthy cell unfit for a dog. Or a Korean War soldier who helped rescue half a nation from communism, or a Desert Storm warrior who repulsed a bloody dictator from raping and pillaging an innocent country.

That flag represented your mother and father, your sister and brother, your friends, neighbors, and everyone at home. I wonder what they would say if someone asked them permission to burn the American flag.

Next, you need a signature from an immigrant. Their brothers and sisters may still languish in their native land, often under tyranny, poverty and misery. Or maybe they died on the way here, never to touch our shores.

Some have seen friends and family get tortured and murdered by their own government for daring to do things we take for granted every day. For those who risked everything simply for the chance to become an American ... what kind of feelings do they have for the flag when they Pledge Allegiance the first time?

Go to a naturalization ceremony and see for yourself, the tears of pride, the thanks, the love and respect of this nation, as they finally embrace the American flag as their own. Ask one of them if it would be OK to tear up the flag.

Last, you should get the signature of a mother. Not just any mother. You need a mother of someone who gave their life for America. It doesn't even have to be from a war. It could be a cop or a fireman. Maybe a Secret Service or NSA agent. Then again, it could be a common foot soldier as well.

When that son or daughter is laid to rest, their family is given one gift by the American people ... an American flag. Go on, I dare you. Ask that mother to spit on her flag.

I wonder what the founding fathers thought of the American flag as they drafted the Declaration of Independence? They knew this act would drag young America into war with England, the greatest power on earth. They also knew failure meant more than just a disappointment. It meant a noose snugly stretched around their necks.

But they needed a symbol, something to inspire the new nation. Something to represent the seriousness, the purpose and conviction that we held our new idea of individual freedom. Something worth living for ... something worth dying for. I wonder how they'd feel if someone asked them permission to toss their flag in a mud puddle?

Away from family, away from the precious shores of home, in the face of overwhelming odds, and often in the face of death, the American flag inspires those who believe in the American dream, the American promise, the American vision.

Americans who don't appreciate the flag, don't appreciate this nation. And those who appreciate this nation appreciate the American flag. Those who fought, fought for that flag. Those who died, died for that flag. And those who love America love that flag ... and defend it.

So if you want to desecrate the American flag, before you spit on it or before you burn it, I have a simple request. Just ask permission. Not from the Constitution. Not from some obscure law. Not from the politicians or the pundits.

Instead, ask those who defended our nation so that we may be free today. Ask those who struggled to reach our shores so that they may join us in the American dream. And ask those who clutch a flag in place of their sacrificed sons and daughters, given to this nation so that others may be free.

For we cannot ask permission from those who died wishing they could, just once ... or once again ... see, touch or kiss the flag that stands for our nation, the United States of America.

[Moderator]

President Woodrow Wilson
Flag Day ... June 14, 1917


This flag, which we honor and under which we serve, is the emblem of our unity, our power, our thought and purpose as a nation. It has no other character than that which we give it from generation to generation. The choices are ours.

It floats in majestic silence above the hosts that execute those choices, whether in peace or in war. And yet, though silent, it speaks to us, speaks to us of the past, of the men and women who went before us, and of the records they wrote upon it.

We celebrate the day of its birth; and from its birth until now it has witnessed a great history, has floated on high the symbol of great events, of a great plan of life worked out by a great people.

Woe be to the man or group of men that seeks to stand in our way in this day of high resolution when every principle we hold dearest is to be vindicated and made secure for the salvation of the nation.

We are ready to plead at the bar of history, and our flag shall wear a new luster. Once more we shall make good with our lives and fortunes the great faith to which we were born, and a new glory shall shine in the face of our people.

[Moderator]

Stars & Stripes
Copyright 2006 by Luke Easter


Stars were originally intended only for night,
To provide a path in place of sun light,
But our Founding Fathers saw in the stars,
Just how blessed a country we truly are.

Each star represents one of the United States,
Although most were born on different dates,
They've come together in a nation as one,
Forever shining brightly as the noonday sun.

Red stripes represent hardiness and valor,
While 13 Colonies grew stronger by the hour,
As white stripes signify purity and innocence,
Blue means perseverance, justice and vigilance.

Stars & Stripes, many nations have tried to defeat,
Even a surprise attack while our defenses were asleep,
Realizing too late that their best had to be better,
United means this country will stand together.

Every war and each attack, from Germany to Iraq,
It's forward that we march, never turning back,
The Flag at Iwo Jima, U.S. Marines faithfully raised,
Are the same Stars and Stripes we salute with pride today.

Even 9/11 that forced Twin Towers to the ground,
With thousands of lives lost our spirit never went down,
In just a matter of a few days our country did rebound,
Like Superman leaping over buildings in a single bound.

There is a song that's titled "Stars & Stripes Forever",
Listen up Terrorists, think you can defeat us? Never!
The bond that built our nation will always stand true,
Forever in the wind waves the Red, White and Blue.