Sing – Stars and Stripes Forever – Youth Activity Archive

The official national march of the United States, composed mentally by John Philip Sousa during a transatlantic voyage in 1896.

Lyrics and Music by: John Philip Sousa

Recordings

Lyrics

Chorus:
Hurrah for the flag of the free!
May it wave as our standard forever,
The gem of the land and the sea,
The banner of the right.
Let despots remember the day
When our fathers with mighty endeavor
Proclaimed as they marched to the fray
That by their might and by their right
It waves forever.

Verses:

Let martial note in triumph float
And liberty extend its mighty hand
A flag appears ‘mid thunderous cheers,
The banner of the Western land.
The emblem of the brave and true
Its folds protect no tyrant crew;
The red and white and starry blue
Is freedom’s shield and hope.

Other nations may deem their flags the best
And cheer them with fervid elation
But the flag of the North and South and West
Is the flag of flags, the flag of Freedom’s nation.

Chorus

Let eagle shriek from lofty peak
The never-ending watchword of our land;
Let summer breeze waft through the trees
The echo of the chorus grand.
Sing out for liberty and light,
Sing out for freedom and the right.
Sing out for Union and its might,
O patriotic sons.

Other nations may deem their flags the best
And cheer them with fervid elation,
But the flag of the North and South and West
Is the flag of flags, the flag of Freedom’s nation.

Chorus

Parody: Be Kind To Your Web-Footed Friends

Lyrics by: Anonymous (Possibly Fred Allen)

Be kind to your web-footed friends.
For a duck may be somebody’s mother.
They live all alone in the swamp,
Where the weather is cold and damp.
Well, you may think that this is the end.
Yes, it is, but to prove that you are wrong,
We’re going to sing it once again,
Oh, yes we will, but it will be just a bit louder!

Be kind to your web-footed friends.
For a duck may be somebody’s mother.
They live at the bottom of the swamp,
Where the weather is cold and damp.
You may think that this is the end.
Well, it is! / you are right!
So, just remember:
Be kind to your web-footed friends!
Be ever kind, yes, oh, so kind to all the duckies!

History

“The Stars and Stripes Forever” is considered the most famous work of John Philip Sousa, known as America’s “March King.” The march was conceived in late 1896 while Sousa and his wife were returning to the United States from a European vacation aboard the S.S. Teutonic. The trip was cut short by the sudden death of Sousa’s band manager, David Blakely. While pacing the deck of the steamer and absorbed in the duties awaiting him in New York, Sousa began to sense a “rhythmic beat of a band playing within my brain.” He noted that the first stirring notes were those of the Dies Irae.

Throughout the tense voyage, this “imaginary band” continued to play the same themes. Sousa did not write a single note of the music down while on the ship. He set the measures to paper once he reached shore. He famously stated that not a note of the composition has ever changed from that original mental rehearsal. From that point on, Sousa’s Band played the march at almost every concert it held for over 35 years until his death.

While primarily recognized as an instrumental, Sousa did write formal lyrics for the march, celebrating the “flag of the North and South and West” as the “flag of flags.” The composition is characterized by crashing cymbals, bombastic brass, and its signature “chirping” piccolos.

In addition to the formal lyrics, a popular mid-20th-century parody titled “Be Kind To Your Web-Footed Friends” (attributed to Fred Allen) became widely associated with the melody, though it was not written by Sousa.

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Published on April 22, 2026. Author:

Tia Kennard

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