Wshat's the matter with all of you? If singing "The Defemse of Fort McHenry" (The original name of "The Star Spangled Banner") is too difficult for you, then I sugest you find a differnt key to sing it in. If that doesn't work, find a good singing teacher. The Melody of "To nachreon in heaven", written by John Stafford Smith, was a very much used one, in the late 18th and early 19th centuries there were at least 11 different sets of lyrics sung to this tune. These are well documented. Among them was John Adams' presidential campaign song, "Adams and Liberty", each verse of which ended with, "And ne'er shall the sons of Columbia be slaves, while the land grows a tree or the sea rolls a wave". So, it appears that the old timers were better singers than you are. The original song, was written in 1775 as an anthem for The Anachreonic Society if London". Anachreon was an old Athenian philosopher, who advocated, "Boozing and Broads" to excess. He was long dead by the time the society which was named for him, was formed. It was assumed that he was in Heaven. The aforementioned song, describes a petition sent, "To Anachreon, in Heaven" and his reply. The first verse says:

TO ANACHREON,IN HEAVEN, WHERE HE DWELT IN FULL GLEE, A FEW SONS OF HARMONY, SENT A PETITION. THAT HE, THEIR INSTRUCTOR AND PATRON, WOULD BE, WHEN THE ANSWER ARRIVED, FROM THE JOLLY OLD GRECIAN, "VOICE, FIDDLE AND FLUTE, NO LONGER BE MUTE, I'LL LEND YOU MY NAME, AND, INSTRUCT YOU, TO BOOT, AND, I WILL TEACH YOU, LIKE ME, TO ENTWINE, THE MYRTLE OF VENUS WITH BACCHUS' WINE"