[Oe List ...] Happy Independence Day, Colleagues.

[via OE]

I received this from a member of our local art association, 92-year-old Bill Werner. He makes wooden toys and sculptures from junk, performs magic shows for children's parties and plays his banjo every weekend at an open mike event. Enjoy! 


Jann







TO ANACHREON IN HEAV’N - British drinking song


To Anacreon in heaven where he sat in full glee,
A few sons of harmony sent a petition,
That he their inspirer and patron would be,
When this answer arrived from the jolly old Grecian:
Voice, fiddle and flute, no longer be mute,
I'll lend you my name and inspire you to boot!
And besides I'll instruct you like me to entwine
The myrtle of Venus and Bacchus's vine.




Try singing that to the tune of our national anthem! ( national since 1931 mandated by Herbert Hoover)


To Anachreon in Heav'n was written by a pro-slavery British lawyer to the melody of a popular drinking song praising drinking and sex. (Venus being the goddess of love and Bacchus the god of wine)


In America, a chap named Francis Scott Key wrote a poem while the British were shooting Congreve rockets at an American fort to keep us colonists in line.  Somehow, these two elements got combined into one of the most difficult-to sing national anthems ever. 200 years ago the tune was easier to sing due to the amount of wine imbibed by the pubsters, who followed it with "drink up!" rather than "Play ball!"  or "Gentlemen, start your engines."


On this happy Independence day, let us consider whether a song written by a Russian Jewish immigrant ( Irving Berlin)called "God Bless America" might be put forward as a replacement.  Personally, I'd change "bless" to "save", but most people think we are already saved.


Play ball!

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.wedgeblade.net/pipermail/oe-wedgeblade.net/attachments/20170704/cbc976f8/attachment.htm>