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Bay Area Artists Sing the Little-Known Fifth Verse of 'The Star-Spangled Banner' | KQED Arts

Many Americans have no idea there are actually four official verses to the "Star-Spangled Banner" — and even fewer know about a little-known, unofficial fifth verse, written a half century later by poet Oliver Wendell Holmes. It goes like this:

A star-spangled quiz

Holmes wrote this extra verse, long after Francis Scott Key wrote the original. The U.S. was in the grip of civil war, and unlike the familiar verse, it's not about a foreign enemy. It's about the foe from within:

"He wrote that fifth verse, I believe, with real sorrow at what was happening to his country," explains Stephen Mucher, education professor at Bard College.

Mucher says Holmes' words have new relevance today. "The divisions that we had in this country in 1861 are similar to what we have now," he says.

Of course, it was actual war back then. This verse, which circulated throughout the north, contained hope for the future:

"The millions unchain'd" is looking ahead to the emancipation of enslaved people.

Mucher says he can't imagine a country without "O Say Can You See." But he'd like for people to sing both the first and the fifth stanzas, as a way for us to unite around the principles of the constitution — both in pride and protest.

NPR's tweets expose a thin grasp of American history

Arts and Culture

Chloe Veltman

Author

We only sing the first verse, but the national anthem actually has four. In the midst of the Civil War, poet Oliver Wendell Holmes penned yet another, which speaks to politically divisive times.

The 'Star-Spangled Banner' verse you've probably never heard

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