ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, July 4, 1996 TAG: 9607050123
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: HOLIDAY
SOURCE: MARK MORRISON STAFF WRITER
SURE, you can hum the melody.
Probably you can sing the first couple of lines, maybe you can make it as far as ``the ramparts we watched.''
But ask yourself this: Do you know all the words to ``The Star-Spangled Banner''? Or more to the point on this Independence Day - the 220th birthday of our nation - ask yourself this: Should you know the words?
And if you don't, why don't you?
Well, we hit the streets to find out just where our national anthem stands in the hearts and memories of our collective citizenry.
The results might surprise you.
Or maybe they won't.
We hit the streets informally. This was not anywhere near a scientific poll. But we chose places to pose our question where we hoped to find an accurate reflection of Americana: on the City Market in downtown Roanoke and at a Salem Avalanche baseball game.
And we started in the parking lot outside the Wal-Mart Supercenter at Valley View Mall.
At Wal-Mart, we approached five people: a high school student, a jewelry counter manager, an assistant bank branch manager, a mail carrier and a retired salesman. Three women and two men ranging in age from 16 to 66. We asked them all the same question.
Do you know the words to ``The Star-Spangled Banner''?
Not one of them knew the words.
Or even came close.
``Oh say can you see by the dawn's early light,'' the 16-year-old high school student began confidently. Then she stopped.
``Uh ... I don't know the rest.''
But she didn't feel bad about it. In fact, none of our Wal-Mart shoppers seemed remorseful that they couldn't recite the words to the national anthem.
``The thing of it is, you very rarely ever sing the song unless someone's leading you,'' said the 66-year-old retired salesman.
``It's just a song,'' said the assistant bank branch manager, age 41. ``Maybe if they did a commercial, like Oscar Mayer, then people would remember. Isn't that terrible? But it's true.''
The mail carrier, 45, agreed. ``I think most everybody is patriotic and would really fight for our country. We just don't hear it enough. It's not something in everyday life. I think it would be nice if it was, but it's not.''
We did give these five folks a chance to redeem themselves, by asking if they could at least name the man who wrote the words to ``The Star-Spangled Banner.''
Three of them knew it was Francis Scott Key. Two of them didn't.
Only one of them was certain that it was Thomas Jefferson who wrote the Declaration of Independence.
``Thomas Jefferson and George Washington?'' said the jewelry manager, age 27. ``I've been out of school now 10 years. I feel like an idiot. I've forgotten everything.''
``Thomas Jefferson? No. I'm not a good history major as you can tell. I want to say John Hancock, but that's not right either,'' said the assistant bank branch manager.
``No idea,'' answered the 16-year-old.
At the Avalanche game, we ran ``The Star-Spangled Banner'' puzzler past five more unsuspecting souls: a pharmacist, a sales supervisor, a telephone long-distance marketing representative, a real-estate clerk and a paper salesman. They ranged in age from 29 to 45. Again, three women and two men.
Again, we drew blanks.
``Oh, wait a minute. Oh God, I hate being put on the spot. Oh God, this is awful,'' said the 29-year-old, a sales supervisor who also served in the Air Force.
Like several people, he was convinced he knew the song but couldn't get past the second line. He tried probably a dozen times. He walked away and came back later to give it another shot.
``I need to hear the music,'' he finally said in defeat.
It upset him.
``No doubt about it. I just feel like that as much as that song means to this country, we ought to know it by heart.''
``It's embarrassing,'' said the long-distance representative. She was 32.
She suggested asking people to recite the Pledge of Allegiance instead.
But that's too easy. Just about everybody knows the Pledge of Allegiance.
``We learn the Pledge of Allegiance in school,'' said the paper salesman, ``not `The Star-Spangled Banner.'''
But ask yourself this: how many times do you think you've heard ``The Star-Spangled Banner'' in your lifetime?
We asked the people in our survey.
``Several hundred.''
``At least a thousand.''
``Tons.''
Enough times to remember it, in other words.
``I think it's just laziness, to tell you the truth,'' said the real-estate clerk, age 35.
To their credit, when it came to the national anthem's lyricist, Francis Scott Key, this group scored better than their counterparts out at Wal-Mart. They were a perfect five-for-five.
Only one of them missed the Jefferson and Declaration of Independence question. And they all knew, too, that Betsy Ross is said to have sewn the first American flag.
Downtown, on the City Market, we polled five more people: a recent high school graduate, a store owner, a train master for the railroad, a retired school teacher and a former naval officer. Three men, two women, ranging in age from 17 to 80.
Guess what?
None of them knew the words, either.
They shared their theories.
``I think it shows that American society is pretty much declining,'' said the 17-year-old graduate.
``I think we are less patriotic ever since the Vietnam War,'' said the retired school teacher, age 62.
``I think that the word 'united' does not actually mean what it stands for. People are just not interested,'' said the store owner, age 36.
But she said she is interested and vowed to start paying better attention.
``I feel bad because I feel like I should know it. I'm certainly going to listen to the words the next time I hear it.''
LENGTH: Long : 116 lines ILLUSTRATION: GRAPHIC: Robert Lunsford. color.by CNB