Not Waving but Drowning Not Waving but Drowning "Not Waving but Drowning" is a poem by the British poet Stevie Smith. It was published in 1957 as part of a collection of the same title. The most famous of Smith's poems, it gives an account of a drowned man whose distressed thrashing in the water had been mistaken for waving. The poem was accompanied by one of Smith's drawings, as was common in her work. The poem's personal significance has been the topic of several pieces of literary criticism because Smith was treated for psychological problems. She contemplated suicide at the age of eight
There's a Star-Spangled Banner Waving Somewhere concept of Valhalla. The verses are a narrative of a young man who is crippled, but still yearns to fight and earn his place in this patriotic afterlife. Other lyrics to this melody have been recorded by Red River Dave in 1960 and called "Ballad of Francis Powers". This is a song about the U.S. flier, Francis Gary Powers, who has been shot down on a spy mission over Soviet territory and taken POW; he is shown singing "There's A Star-Spangled Banner Waving Somewhere" in prison. Numerous performers have recorded "There's a Star-Spangled Banner Waving Somewhere" through the years. One