The song's first verse is apparently based on a 1919 translation prepared by Francis Haffkine Snow for the US Bureau of Education. The only changes to the first verse from this version are a replacement of "" ("don't you see?") with "" ("do you see it?"); "" ("bars") with "" ("stripes"); and "" ("the brilliance of rockets, the roar of bombs") with "" ("the brilliance of struggle, in step with freedom"). However, subsequent verses diverge significantly between the 1919 and 2006 versions.