Taps Song, is it?

Many believe Taps is a song, but officially it’s not. Taps is a bugle call which is a signal, not a song so there are no “official” Taps Lyrics as well. The signal was also known as the Drum Taps, The Taps, or in soldiers’ slang: Taps.

The official military Taps is played by a single bugle or trumpet at dusk, during flag ceremonies and at military funerals by the United States Armed Forces. The duration is usually around 59 seconds but can vary at times.

There is a popular myth about the origin and history of Taps. However, the true story is that in July 1862, after the Seven Days battles at Harrison’s Landing (near Richmond), Virginia, the wounded Commander of the 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, V Army Corps, Army of the Potomac, General Daniel Butterfield reworked, with his bugler Oliver Wilcox Norton, another bugle call, “Scott Tattoo,” to create Taps. He thought that the regular call for Lights Out was too formal. (Continue reading, and to see the actual lyrics, click here…)