swerve
Slippery When Wet
- Joined
- May 16, 2004
- Posts
- 12,843
- Reaction score
- 4
- Points
- 0
- Location
- Los Angeles
- Website
- tedg99.wordpress.com
On February 22, 1815, a song entitled "Wreaths for the Chieftain" was performed to honor the belated George Washington and the end of the War of 1812...
It was played once again -- this time, as "Hail to the Chief" -- for Andrew Jackson on January 9, 1829 -- and then once again amongst other musical numbers during Martin Van Buren's inauguration on March 4 of 1837...
In 1841, President Tyler's wife asked that the song be used to announce the President's arrival...
However, this was rarely done, until...
Sarah Childress, born in Murfreesboro, TN (outside of Nashiville) and married to the subsequent President Polk -- insisted upon it...
President Polk was small in stature and rarely noticed upon entering a room...
Utilizing "Hail to the Chief" ensured that he was noticed WHEREVER he went...
In CURRENT day -- the Secret Service UTILIZE the time of the song to shore up all of their duties PRIOR to the President taking the stage...
And now -- the ODDITY...
"Hail to the Chief" is from a poem by Sir Walter Scott entitled "The Lady of the Lake" (published in 1810) -- more specifically, the second Canto (of six) known as "The Boat Song"...
The CHIEF (or Chieftain) referred to in the poem is Roderick Dhu who strove to PROTECT his people from King James the 5th...
And yet the TRAGEDY of the poem is that he was KILLED at the KING'S behest...
THIS STORY in the poem resonated with Americans during the mid 1800's because it explored both the GOOD and BAD conflicting values and attributes of contending rules of governance...
So -- BASICALLY -- we are playing a SONG who's HERO was KILLED by the KING -- EVERY TIME the PRESIDENT takes stage...
“Breathes there the man with soul so dead, Who never to himself hath said, This is my own, my native land!”
It was played once again -- this time, as "Hail to the Chief" -- for Andrew Jackson on January 9, 1829 -- and then once again amongst other musical numbers during Martin Van Buren's inauguration on March 4 of 1837...
In 1841, President Tyler's wife asked that the song be used to announce the President's arrival...
However, this was rarely done, until...
Sarah Childress, born in Murfreesboro, TN (outside of Nashiville) and married to the subsequent President Polk -- insisted upon it...
President Polk was small in stature and rarely noticed upon entering a room...
Utilizing "Hail to the Chief" ensured that he was noticed WHEREVER he went...
In CURRENT day -- the Secret Service UTILIZE the time of the song to shore up all of their duties PRIOR to the President taking the stage...
And now -- the ODDITY...
"Hail to the Chief" is from a poem by Sir Walter Scott entitled "The Lady of the Lake" (published in 1810) -- more specifically, the second Canto (of six) known as "The Boat Song"...
The CHIEF (or Chieftain) referred to in the poem is Roderick Dhu who strove to PROTECT his people from King James the 5th...
And yet the TRAGEDY of the poem is that he was KILLED at the KING'S behest...
THIS STORY in the poem resonated with Americans during the mid 1800's because it explored both the GOOD and BAD conflicting values and attributes of contending rules of governance...
So -- BASICALLY -- we are playing a SONG who's HERO was KILLED by the KING -- EVERY TIME the PRESIDENT takes stage...
“Breathes there the man with soul so dead, Who never to himself hath said, This is my own, my native land!”