“In God Is Our Trust”
—The Star-Spangled Banner
Where were those words, those hallowed words,
“In God We Trust” once born?
Francis Scott Key once composed them
on a misty harbor morn.
Held on a British boat he could
not fight the enemy,
So fought with words, while our flag
still stood at Fort McHenry
He wrote with pure alacrity,
four verses, eight lines each,
Though that first verse is all the words
You’ll hear the song books teach.
His fourth verse said how we must fight
because our cause is just
And said our motto had to be,
quote: “In God is our trust.”
Now if I sang our anthem at
a crowded football game,
I’d choose to sing this precious verse
without a lick of shame.
Our banner’s stars are heavenly—
undying, unforgot!
Our nation’s soul is conscience-bound,
and that we owe to God!
LTC Roy E. Peterson, US Army Military Intelligence and Russian Foreign Area Officer (Retired) has published more than 7,300 poems in 102 of his 125 books. He has been an Army Attaché in Moscow, Commander of INF Portal Monitoring in Votkinsk, first US Foreign Commercial Officer in Vladivostok, Russia and Regional Manager in the Russian Far East for IBM. He holds a BA, Hardin-Simmons University (Political Science); MA, University of Arizona (Political Science); MA, University of Southern California (Int. Relations) and MBA University of Phoenix. He taught at the University of Arizona, Western New Mexico University, University of Maryland, Travel University and the University of Phoenix.
How lovely, informative, and inspiring! I just found and read them all. Wow! Should be required reading and memorization in every American classroom. Thanks, Roy.
Bless you and thank you, Jan!
I agree with Jan. It’s been forever since I read the entire lyrics of that marvelous song. Thanks for the reminder, Roy. You are right, and God bless you!
Thank you, so much for the kind comments.
May “this be our motto,” indeed! Thanks, Roy.
Amen and thank you, Cynthia!
Roy, you memorialize not just the motto, but the perspective. Serving as you did in lands of the former Soviet Union, you know the peoples of those lands were theoretically and constitutionally guaranteed rights we enjoy. But from the perspective of the Soviet government, rights were granted by rulers, and their subjects did not dare take advantage of guaranteed rights to speak or assemble or worship freely. What a difference it makes when rulers and subjects are both “conscience-bound” by justice and trust in God!
Amen!
Aside from anything else Roy (and there is always something else!), I love in poetry ingenious rhymes – especially ones I never suspected: enemy/Fort McHenry has got to be an all-time classic! Thanks!
James, wonderful comment and deeply appreciated.
A stirring piece of patriotic verse, with some history thrown in.
The key-word, I felt, was ‘conscious-bound’, a trait which I don’t believe is focused on enough educationally these days.
Thanks for the 250+ piece, Roy.
Thank you, Paul for your observation and kind comments.
Nice work! You have just reminded me that the later verses of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” as well, live in undeserved obscurity.
You are so right, C.B. There are a lot of great thought contained in those stanzas.