"Semper Paratus" (

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...

for "Always Ready") is a 1928 song and the official march of the

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mu ...

, having been composed in 1927 by U.S. Coast Guard Captain

Francis Saltus Van Boskerck Francis may refer to: People *Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State and Bishop of Rome *Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters *Francis (surname) Places *Rural Mu ...

Etymology

''Semper Paratus'' is the title of the song and is also the U.S. Coast Guard's official

motto A motto (derived from the Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group, or organisation. Mo ...

. The precise origin of the phrase is obscure, although the U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office notes the first use was by the ''

New Orleans Bee ''The New Orleans Bee'' (french: L’Abeille de la Nouvelle-Orléans) was an American broadsheet newspaper in New Orleans, Louisiana, founded on September 1, 1827, by François Delaup and originally located at 94 St. Peter Street, between Royal ...

'' newspaper in 1836, in reference to the actions of the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service during the ''Ingham'' incident.

History

Composition

The original

lyrics Lyrics are words that make up a song, usually consisting of verses and choruses. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist. The words to an extended musical composition such as an opera are, however, usually known as a "libretto" and their writer ...

(seen below) were written by

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

Francis Saltus Van Boskerck in 1922, at the cabin of in

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia and is the county seat of Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the British colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later t ...

; he wrote the music in 1927, on a "beat-up old

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a musica ...

" in

Unalaska, Alaska Unalaska ( ale, Iluulux̂; russian: Уналашка) is the chief center of population in the Aleutian Islands. The city is in the Aleutians West Census Area, a regional component of the Unorganized Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. Unalask ...

.Kroll, p 144

Lyrical modifications

The current verse, as well as a second

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

, were written by Homer Smith,

3rd Naval District The naval district was a U.S. Navy military and administrative command ashore. Apart from Naval District Washington, the Districts were disestablished and renamed Navy Regions about 1999, and are now under Commander, Naval Installations Command ...

Coast Guard quartet; Chief Cole; and Lieutenant Walton Butterfield in 1943. In 1969, the first line of the chorus was changed from “So here's the Coast Guard marching song, We sing on land and sea.” to “We're always ready for the call, We place our trust in Thee.”

Lyrics

''Verse 1'' : From Aztec Shore to Arctic Zone, : To

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and

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, : The Flag is carried by our ships : In times of war and peace; : And never have we struck it yet, : In spite of foemen's might, : Who cheered our crews and cheered again : For showing how to fight. ''Chorus'' : We're always ready for the call, : We place our trust in Thee. : Through surf and storm and howling gale, : High shall our purpose be, : "Semper Paratus" is our guide, : Our fame, our glory, too. : To fight to save or fight and die! : Aye! Coast Guard, we are for you. ''Verse 2'' : "

Surveyor Surveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, art, and science of determining the terrestrial two-dimensional or three-dimensional positions of points and the distances and angles between them. A land surveying professional is c ...

" and "Narcissus," : The "

Eagle Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, j ...

" and "Dispatch," : The " Hudson" and the "

Tampa Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the seat of Hillsborough Co ...

," : These names are hard to match; : From Barrow's shores to

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, :

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five la ...

or Ocean's wave, : The Coast Guard fights through storms and winds : To punish or to save. ''Verse 3'' : Aye! We've been "Always Ready" : To do, to fight, or die! : Write glory to the shield we wear : In letters to the sky. : To sink the foe or save the maimed : Our mission and our pride. : We'll carry on 'til Kingdom Come : Ideals for which we've died.

Notes

Citations

Sources

* * * *

External links

*
Semper Paratus
(MIDI and all versions of the lyrics)

(WAV)

(sheet music) {{Authority control 1927 songs American military marches United States Coast Guard American patriotic songs