The Star-Spangled Banner is the national anthem of the United States. But where do the lyrics come from, and what’s the history of the anthem? ‘Oh, say can you see...’, goes ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ ...

Let’s take a line-by-line tour of the history and meaning behind the lyrics. Like so many famous songs of yore, "The Star-Spangled Banner" started as a poem, called “The Defence of Fort ...