“Hail to the Chief” has lyrics?

Yes, apparently the tune played for the entry of the President of the United States has lyrics — and it originally comes from an English stage play based on Sir Walter Scott’s poem The Lady of the Lake? The things you learn these days!

I gleaned this factoid from a neat little book called Songs Sung Red, White and Blue: The Stories Behind America’s Best-Loved Patriotic Songs by Ace Collins. It’s a pretty interesting volume to dip into, for the background behind such songs as “This Land Is Your Land”, “God Bless America”, “The Star-Spangled Banner”, and the like.

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