Hail To The Chief
"Hail to the Chief" is the official Presidential Anthem of the United States. Its playing accompanies the appearance of the President at many public appearances. For major official occasions, the United States Marine Band and other military ensembles generally are the performers, so directives of the U.S. Department of Defense have since 1954 been the main basis for according it official status. It is preceded by four ruffles and flourishes when played for the President. The song is also played during a former President's state funeral, though it can also be played even if the funeral is not a state funeral such as the funeral of Richard Nixon. The song is in the public domain.
Read more about Hail To The Chief: History, The Lyrics
Famous quotes containing the words hail to, hail and/or chief:
“Hail to thee, blithe Spirit!
Bird thou never wert,
That from Heaven, or near it,
Pourest thy full heart
In profuse strains of unpremeditated art.”
—Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792–1822)
“Beware the dead. And hail them. They teach you drunkenness.
You have your own place to drink. Hail and beware them, when they come.”
—Charles Olson (1910–1970)
“On the whole, yes, I would rather be the Chief Justice of the United States, and a quieter life than that which becomes at the White House is more in keeping with the temperament, but when taken into consideration that I go into history as President, and my children and my children’s children are the better placed on account of that fact, I am inclined to think that to be President well compensates one for all the trials and criticisms he has to bear and undergo.”
—William Howard Taft (1857–1930)