The Senate of the Union of Earth States has passed a motion to change the national anthem of this great Union. The anthem has been changed from "Long Live the Union!" to "The Union, Forever!", we made this decision to conjure stronger emotions and patriotic feelings in the people.
—A senator from the Union informing the public about the adoption of "The Union, Forever!"
"The Union, Forever!" (or, alternatively, the "Battle Cry of Freedom") was a popular patriotic song and national anthem of the Union of Earth States, originally composed in 23 BBY by Sergeant Richard D. Pickman of the Union Army during its deployment to Leasath, who sought to help the Leasathian Unionists gain victory over the Leasathian Nationalists during the Leasath Civil War of 23 BBY - 22 BBY.
In 21 BBY, following the outbreak of the Earth Civil War against the Confederate States of Earth, a confederacy of Earth's nation states which had chosen to secede from the Union, the Union Senate decided that the present anthem, called "Long Live the Union!", which had been the Union's anthem since its founding in 81 BBY, lacked the ability to raise morale and patriotic fervour amongst the citizenry, and so they decided to adopt a new national anthem which gave stronger feelings of patriotism and loyalty to the Union, which was desperately needed, due to the many Confederate sympathisers and supporters in the Union.
The song became very popular during the war, to the point that the Confederates adopted their own version of the song as one of their unofficial national anthems, this song was called "Our Confederacy, Forever!" (alternatively named the "Confederate Battle Cry of Freedom")
Whilst the Union lost the war and was forced to sign the Treaty of Williamstown the Confederates did not demand the Union to change their anthem, most Confederates actually felt some respect for the Union for being willing to suffer for what they believed in.
Eh, this song isn't as rousing or heart lifting as our national anthem.
—A Confederate giving his opinion on The Union, Forever!
Adam Williams, the grandson of Richard Williams, who was the Union President during the Second Galactic Civil War of 40 ABY-41 ABY, liked the song.
Ah, "The Union, Forever!", a song written by a patriot during the darkest days of the Union, the days when Conservative and Nationalist traitors did everything in their power to destroy this great Union, the song which helped the true patriots endure the overwhelming assaults of the Confederacy, but the survival of the unified Union was not to be, and today we are but a shadow of our former selves, we continue to sing this anthem to remember the patriots who gave their all to defend freedom! Thanks to them the Union still lives! Were it not for them we would be territories of the Confederacy today, as many traitorous citizens, the Sympathisers, of our Union longed for us to become!
—President Adam Williams commenting on the The Union, Forever! in 40 ABY
Lyrics[]
Yes, we'll rally 'round the flag, boys, we'll rally once again,
Shouting the battle cry of freedom!
Oh, we'll rally from the hillsides, we'll gather from the plains,
Shouting the battle cry of freedom!
The Union, Forever! Hurrah, boys, hurrah!,
Down with the traitors, and up with the stars!
We'll rally 'round the flag, boys, we'll rally once again,
Shouting the battle cry of freedom!
Oh, we're springing to the call for six hundred thousand more,
Shouting the battle cry of freedom!,
And we'll fill the vacant ranks of our brothers gone before
Shouting the battle cry of freedom!
The Union, Forever! Hurrah, boys, hurrah!,
Down with the traitors, and up with the stars!
We'll rally 'round the flag, boys, we'll rally once again,
Shouting the battle cry of freedom!
We will welcome to our numbers the loyal, true and brave,
Shouting the battle cry of freedom!
And for serving the Union, he cannot be called a knave,
Shouting, the battle cry of freedom!
The Union, Forever! Hurrah, boys, hurrah!,
Down with the traitors, and up with the stars!
We'll rally 'round the flag, boys, we'll rally once again,
Shouting the battle cry of freedom!
So we're charging to the call to save this great land,
Shouting the battle cry of freedom!
And the traitors shall hear this song from our bands!
Shouting the battle cry of freedom!
The Union, Forever! Hurrah, boys, hurrah!,
Down with the traitors, and up with the stars!
We'll rally 'round the flag, boys, we'll rally once again,
Shouting the battle cry of freedom!
(The following verse often isn't sung)
May God let us end this hated rebellion,
Shouting the battle cry of freedom!
We'll show the Rebels the truth of their misguided volition
Shouting the battle cry of freedom!
The Union, Forever! Hurrah, boys, hurrah!,
Down with the traitors, and up with the stars!
We'll rally 'round the flag, boys, we'll rally once again,
Shouting the battle cry of freedom!