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I walked through a county courthouse square |
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On a park bench an old man was sitting there |
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I said, "Your old courthouse is kinda run down" |
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He said, "No, it'll do for our little town" |
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I said, "Your old flagpole has leaned a little bitAnd that's a Ragged Old Flag you got hanging on it" |
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He said, "Have a seat," and |
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I sat down"Is this the first time you've been to our little town?" |
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I said, "I think it is" |
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He said, "I don't like to bragBut we're kinda proud of that Ragged Old FlagYou see, we got a little hole in that flag there whenWashington took it across the DelawareAnd it got powder-burned the night Francis Scott KeySat watching it, writing 'Say Can You See'And it got a bad rip in New OrleansWith Packingham and Jackson tuggin' at its seamsAnd it almost fell at the AlamoBeside the Texas flag, but she waved on thoughShe got cut with a sword at ChancellorsvilleAnd she got cut again at Shiloh HillThere was Robert E. Lee, Beauregard, and BraggAnd the south wind blew hard on that Ragged Old FlagOn Flanders Field in World War IShe got a big hole from a Bertha gunShe turned blood red in World War IIShe hung limp and low by the time it was throughShe was in Korea and VietnamShe went where she was sent by her Uncle SamShe waved from our ships upon the briny foamAnd now they've about quit waving her back here at homeIn her own good land here she's been abusedShe's been burned, dishonored, denied, and refusedAnd the government for which she standsIs scandalized throughout the landAnd she's getting threadbare and she's wearing thinBut she's in good shape for the shape she's in'Cause she's been through the fire beforeAnd I believe she can take a whole lot moreSo we raise her up every morning, we take her down every nightWe don't let her touch the ground and we fold her up rightOn second thought, I do like to brag'Cause I'm mighty proud of the Ragged Old Flag |
