Semper Paratus (march)

Semper Paratus

English: Always Ready
Service anthem of  U.S. Coast Guard
Lyrics	Homer Smith and Walton Butterfield, 1969
Music	Francis Saltus Van Boskerck, 1927
Adopted	1928; 89 years ago (1928)
Music sample
"Semper Paratus" being played instrumentally by the USCG Band in 1990.

"Semper Paratus" (Latin for "Always Ready") is a 1928 song and the official march of the United States Coast Guard (USCG), having been composed in 1927 by USCG officer Francis Saltus Van Boskerck.

Semper Paratus is the title of the song and is also the U.S. Coast Guard's official motto. 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 newspaper in 1836, in reference to the actions of the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service during the Ingham incident.

The original lyrics (seen below) were written by Captain Francis Saltus Van Boskerck in 1922, at the cabin of USCGC Yamacraw in Savannah, Georgia; he wrote the music in 1927, on a "beat-up old piano" in Unalaska, Alaska. He died in November 1927.

The current verse, as well as a second chorus, were written by Homer Smith, 3rd Naval District Coast Guard quartet, Chief Cole, Walton Butterfield in 1943. In 1969, the first line of each verse was changed.

Verse 1

Chorus

Verse 2

Verse 3

...
Wikipedia