Ragged Old Flag – English Lyrics

• By: Johnny Cash

Lyrics & Translation

Discover American patriotism through Johnny Cash's iconic "Ragged Old Flag." Learn about the historical context of the Watergate era and explore powerful metaphors about America's resilience, all while improving your understanding of American culture and history through song.

[English]

I walked through a county courthouse square

On a park bench, an old man was sittin' there.

I said, "Your old court house is kinda run down,

He said, "Naw, it'll do for our little town".

I said, "Your old flag pole is leaned a little bit,

And that's a ragged old flag you got hangin' on it".

He said, "Have a seat", and I sat down,

"Is this the first time you've been to our little town"

I said, "I think it is"

He said "I don't like to brag, but we're kinda proud of that ragged old flag"

You see, we got a little hole in that flag there

When Washington took it across the Delaware.

And It got powder burned the night Francis Scott Key sat watching it

Writing "Say Can You See"

It got a bad rip in New Orleans, with Packingham & Jackson

Tugging at it's seams.

And it almost fell at the Alamo

Beside the Texas flag,

But she waved on though.

She got cut with a sword at Chancellorsville,

And she got cut again at Shiloh Hill.

There was Robert E. Lee and Beauregard and Bragg,

And the south wind blew hard on that ragged old flag

On Flanders Field in World War I

She got a big hole from a Bertha Gun

She turned blood red in World War II

She hung limp, and low, a time or two

She was in Korea, Vietnam, she went where she was sent

By her Uncle Sam

She waved from our ships upon the briny foam

And now they've about quit wavin' back here at home

In her own good land here She's been abused

She's been burned, dishonored, denied an' refused

And the government for which she stands

Has scandalized throughout out the land

And she's getting thread bare, and she's wearin' thin

But she's in good shape, for the shape she's in

Cause she's been through the fire before

And I believe she can take a whole lot more

So we raise her up every morning

And we take her down every night,

We don't let her touch the ground,

And we fold her up right.

On a second thought

I do like to brag

'Cause I'm mighty proud of that ragged old flag

...

Key Grammar Structures

• I walked through a county courthouse square

  ➔ Past Simple

  ➔ The verb "walked" is the past simple form, used to describe a completed action in the past.

• He said, "Naw, it'll do for our little town".

  ➔ Future Simple (will) – contraction

  ➔ The contraction "it'll" stands for "it will", expressing a future prediction or willingness.

• I said, "Your old flag pole is leaned a little bit"

  ➔ Present Passive

  ➔ The verb phrase "is leaned" uses the passive voice to show that the flag pole receives the action.

• I don't like to brag, but we're kinda proud of that ragged old flag

  ➔ Present Simple with "don't like to + infinitive"

  ➔ The structure "don't like to" expresses a dislike for the action expressed by the infinitive "brag".

• When Washington took it across the Delaware.

  ➔ Temporal clause with "when" + past simple

  ➔ The word "When" introduces a time reference, and the verb "took" is in the past simple to describe a completed past event.

• It got powder burned the night Francis Scott Key sat watching it

  ➔ Causative "got + past participle"

  ➔ The phrase "got powder burned" uses "got" + past participle to indicate that the flag was caused to become powder‑burned.

• She was in Korea, Vietnam, she went where she was sent by her Uncle Sam

  ➔ Relative clause with "where" + passive

  ➔ The clause "where she was sent" is a relative clause introduced by "where", and "was sent" is in the passive voice.

• We don't let her touch the ground

  ➔ Causative verb "let" + bare infinitive

  ➔ The verb "let" is used as a causative verb, followed directly by the bare infinitive "touch" without "to".

• But she's been abused

  ➔ Present Perfect Passive

  ➔ The construction "has been abused" combines the present perfect auxiliary "has been" with the past participle "abused" to form a passive meaning "has suffered abuse".