the pledge

When I was in kindergarden my Mum thaught I was learning some foreign language and immediatly called the teacher to find out why she wasn't told about. Here is what I was saying: "A fledga leedga tooda flack". It turned out to be the Pledge of Alleagance.

Tammy

When I was in kindergarten, a bunch of different international flags hung on the walls of the classroom (I guess to show respect for ethnic diversity), and in the front of the classroom was the huge American Flag. Every day when we'd have to say the Pledge of Alligence, the teacher would say, "Now turn and face the flag." Because she never specified WHICH flag to turn to, I'd pledge alligence to a different flag every day! Eventually the teacher caught on and asked me what I was doing. When I explained myself, she laughed for about ten minutes straight!

Daile

The words as I understood them went something like:

Attach a lesion to the flag, of the United States of America,
into the Republic, where witches stand,
one nation, underground, and invisible, with liberty—and just this!—for all.

Each time I visited with friends and family for a year or so following my mastery of these enigmatic lyrics I was required, by my mother, to make a solo performance for everyone’s enjoyment.

Inevitably, once I took my place in front of my audience, someone from the crowd would cry out, in a shouting whisper, “Your right hand, Ricky! Other side! There you go!” at which point I would locate my heart, cover it as required by my teacher and this disturbing song, and proceed with my rendering of it.

I must say that every recital received applause and laudations from its spectators. Either I delivered it with such passion and fluidity that no one paid attention to the words I uttered, or they themselves didn’t know the true words and thus thought nothing of my odd rendition of them, or it was simply a wonderful joke amongst the grown-folks to watch little Ricky’s brow furrow at the speculation of where in our town the Republic might lie and just how many witches could be found there loitering about, preying upon young schoolboys. I suspect the latter of these possibilities to be the most likely.

Rick(y)

In third/second grade, we always recited the pledge of allegiance before first period. In the part which says 'For which it stands', everyone would say 'For Richard Stanz', convinced that the chant was a dedication to some guy named Richard Stanz. Once day, there was a visitor who came to our school whose name was Rick Stantse, and he was plagued with questions about the pledge.

TAsciusKL@Fui

In The Star Spangled Banner, when I was little I thought the first line was "Jose, Can you see?" instead of "Oh Say can you see?" I thought they were singing it to a Spanish boy...

Optional

I am canadian, and when I was 10, I moved to washington DC. everyday at the begining of school, we said the pledge of allegiance, and my dad made me believe that if you knew it by heart, you automatically became American. I actually started crying because I liked being a Canadian and didn't want to become an American. (I was and incredibly gulible child)

val

When I was younger (BTW I live in Canada) I used to believe that the last line of "O Canada" was

O Canada, we stand our guard, and pee!

When really it was

O Canada, we stand on guard for thee!

oops...

Mad-Eye Moody

My mother and law informed me that my husband came home from his first day at kindergarten and recited the Pledge of Allegiance as follows:

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic, for which it stands: one nation, under God, indivisible, for liberty and justice for frogs.

Lucky frogs!

Jenny

In grade school we use to always start the day with the pledge to the flag and morning announcements. A group of students would lead the Pledge followed by "please be seated" so students would continue to listen as the principal listed important items for the day. During a patriotic assembly for the K-2nd grade students the teachers performed a skit on stage. At the end of the final scene all the kids stood up to recite the pledge with the teachers. In unison they added to the end, "please be seated". We all thought that was part of the pledge!

Anon

When I was a kid I believed that if you were handling an America Flag and it touched the ground, the country lost a state. Just where the state went or who got it I didn't know, but God help the poor kid who was responsible.

Mike

I got almost everyline wrong in the pledge:

I pledge a lesion, to the flag of the United Stakes of America
And to the republic, for Richard Stanz
One nation, undergone,
with little tea, and just ice, for all

This was cleared up when, in 2nd grade, it was my turn to say it over the PA system.

Em

I used to believe that the pledge went:
I pledge ally gents
To the flag
Of the united states of america
And to the free public
For witches stand
One nation
Under God
Invinisible
With liber tea
And justice for all

I thought we were pledging to a bunch of gentlemen! And it does make sense, the free public...I also knew about the salem witch trials, so I thought we were standing up for all the witches. I also thought that since we won all of these wars, we were invinisble! And I pictured a bunch of old famous people like Thomas Jefferson, sitting around a table drinking 'Liber tea' I thought Liber tea was reserved for very important people only. One day I asked my mother if she thought I was important enough to drink Liber Tea. She just gave me a weird look and asked for an explanation! She then cleared up the whole situation I was just a little off...

Can I drink Liber Tea??

I pledge allegiance to the flag and to the republic of Richard Stanz, one nation, under Bob, invisible, with liver tea and justice for all. Amen.

...was how I thought the pledge went until about fourth grade.

Rach

When I first learned the Pledge of Allegiance in school, I thought I had to say the whole thing EVERY time I saw the flag.

Krista

Would you believe liver, tea, and justice for all? Tea I could take, but liver? Ewg!

Texas granny

the pledge of allegiance: I pledge all legions to the flag of the knighted sates of america and to the republican richard stans, on nation under god, undies visible with livery injustice for all.

Anon

I pledge a legion to the flag of the indicted steaks of america. and to the repugnant, for richard stanz, one naked, under guard, in the lizardball, with liver, cheese and puffed rice for all!
yes...I said this....

wasted

When I learned the pledge, I thought it went:
I pledge (like the cleaner) a legion
To the flag of the USA
And to their we love it - ?
From which his stand
One nation, Underbob, Invisible
With Liberty Ann Justice (like it was a name) 4-all.

I though bob was like another god and stood up on his stand and we pledged the US (a legion) to him and promised to keep it clean or else he would make us invisble. O, and Liberty Justice was his wife.

Alyse

I used to believe that the "Pledge" of Allegiance had something to do with our "Pledge" cleaner.

Pledge

It was in Kindergarten that we first learned The Pledge. A rather old teacher was talking about it and he said "he'd had friends that had died under the flag", and meant that they'd died fighting in a war. I thought that he meant that people had died of heart attacks while saying the pledge.

I accepted the fact that I could die at any minute during The Pledge, and never see my family again. After reciting it for months, and no one had died, I came to the conclusion that the teachers were just trying to scare us into saying The Pledge every morning!

Jessica Tinch