History Main / SecondVerseCurse

* The liner notes for Judy Crystal's English TranslatedCoverVersion of Kohmi Hirose's "[[https://www.paraparawiki.com/wiki/God_of_Romance God of Romance]]" have two additional refrain stanzas that are unused, even in the song's extended version.

* Many renditions of "Sleigh Ride", including The Marvelettes, leave out the entire B-section (the part that begins "There's a birthday party at the home of Farm—" [''{{whip|ItGood}}''] "—er Gray...").

* Most people sing only the first stanza to "HappyBirthdayToYou". Probably because the second verse is "How old are you now?", which can be seen as offensive or simply blunt, or they just want to get to the cake and presents (Maybe the birthday person doesn't like being asked that). The later-added "Are you one? Are you two?" and so on almost never get sung beyond a child's third or fourth birthday, [[ForTheLulz unless the singers like messing with their family.]]

* Most people sing only the first stanza to "HappyBirthdayToYou". Probably because the second verse is "How old are you now?", which can be seen as offensive or simply blunt, or they just want to get to the cake and presents. The later-added "Are you one? Are you two?" and so on almost never get sung beyond a child's third or fourth birthday, [[ForTheLulz unless the singers like messing with their family.]]

* On ''VideoGame/SonicAndKnuckles'''s [[KeepCirculatingTheTapes hard-to-find]] OST, nearly every track has a bridge section or extension to help flesh out the songs that the game versions lack. Lava Reef and Sky Sanctuary stand out by having entire second verses worth of music that goes unused in any version of the song produced since.

** The commonly-heard edit of Kristine W.'s "Land Of The Living" skips the introductory verse(though it is sung in the video) and starts at the first chorus.

** The commonly-heard edit of Kristine W.'s "Land Of The Living" skips the introductory verse and starts at the first chorus.

* The radio edit of Music/{{BT}}'s "Remember"(f/Jan Johnston) cuts the third verse as well as two lines of the second verse.
* Olive's "You're Not Alone" has a LyricalColdOpen that is cut from its radio edit.
* The commonly-heard edit of Kristine W.'s "Land Of The Living" skips the introductory verse and starts at the first chorus.

* ''Awake, My Soul, And With The Sun'' and ''All Praise To Thee, My God, This Night'' are virtually forgotten today, except for their final verse (which they share). That final verse is now known as the Doxology.

** Music/DonMcLean's "American Pie" has six verses, but infamously had to be split across two sides on the 7" 45 rpm single, so many DJ's only played the first half. The official radio edit also skips a couple verses and fades out before the [[LastChorusSlowdown Last Verse Slowdown]].

* In the mid-1970's, UsefulNotes/McDonalds had a series of child-oriented commercials featuring a song about Ronald [=McDonald=] being the "[=McFriendliest=] fellow in town". The jingle had a B-verse beginning "With a smile on his face and yellow shoelace..." An extended version of the song was released on a [[https://youtu.be/SwsBbqPebeY vinyl record promo]], which repeats the B-verse with different lyrics.

** Second half is somewhat an {{aver|tedTrope}}sion. It starts with "Deitado eternamente em berço esplêndido" (something like "Lying down a splendid cradle forever") has, along the centuries, [[MemeticMutation being well known]] as a complaint about passivity or inertia, from moms scolding [[TheSlacker lazy kids]] to [[ApatheticCitizens politic criticism]].

** The spoken-word coda of "Thriller" was supposed to have three stanzas, but the middle one ("The demons squeal in sheer delight...") was deleted. Worse, the radio edit omits the rap altogether.

* "It's All Too Much," a Beatles song that was recorded during the ''Sgt. Pepper'' sessions, was featured in the film ''WesternAnimation/YellowSubmarine'' with only two verses and two refrains. It appeared on the soundtrack album in a six-minute edition with three verses and an additional refrain but it did not use a verse from the movie. The original 8:08 session used this verse and an additional refrain, which is on [=YouTube=]. The missing refrain and verse used in the movie:

--->"Somebody started the Star Spangled banner, and we sang the first verse - which is all that most people know..."
** In a short story by Creator/IsaacAsimov, the protagonist caught a German spy by tricking him into revealing that he knew the whole thing, as [[ConvictionByContradiction presumably]] only a spy extensively coached on the culture he's infiltrating would have bothered to learn anything aside from the first verse.
*** Asimov himself (who was an immigrant to America) knew all four verses by heart and [[HypocriticalHumor used to give speeches about how you need to know all four to truly appreciate the beauty of the anthem.]]

* "God Save The King/Queen" has five, with only the first usually sung. Occasionally the third one shows up at sporting events, confusing everybody. The second is a request for the politics of Britain's enemies to be confused, among other things and turns up on occasions. UrbanLegends abound that the latter verses are CanonDiscontinuity due to being anti-Scottish; these are largely bogus - the anti-Scottish verse did exist but was largely just a piece of propaganda and had fallen out of use long before the song was adopted as the official national anthem.
** The remaining two original verses referred to specific historical events and figures that stopped being relevant within a generation of writing it - one anti-Scottish one and one anti-Catholic one. There are also, apparently, another five unofficial verses found in virtually unknown [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_Save_the_Queen#William_Hickson.27s_alternative_version alternative]] [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_Save_the_Queen#Official_peace_version versions.]]

* The current national anthem of Germany avoids it by [[SingleStanzaSong having only one stanza]], being the third/last stanza of the 1841 poem "Das Lied der Deutschen" (also known as "Deutschlandlied"), whose three stanzas have been used in various constellations as national anthem since 1922. The ''Deutschlandlied'''s first stanza, beginning with "Deutschland, Deutschland über Alles" (Germany, Germany Above All), is possibly the most widely known, and was discarded both due to its association with the [[UsefulNotes/NaziGermany Nazis]] (who used only this stanza in their version of the national anthem, along with the Nazi-written Horst-Wessel Lied) and due to its naming of borders which were never accurate to begin with[[note]]No matter how you slice and dice it, the "Germany" (being either any area with a contiguous majority of native German speakers, the German confederation or all territory of its member states) sung about in this song never had those borders. It either did not reach them or it reached beyond them.[[/note]] and are now - due to geographical shrinkage and migration after each of the World Wars - just blatantly irredentist and potentially aggressive towards those countries owning the territory in question. The second stanza, beginning with "Deutsche Fraue, Deutsche Treue" (German Women, German Loyalty) praised the country's culture, [[ValuesDissonance women]], wine and song. The third stanza, which begins with "Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit" (Unity and Justice and Freedom, lyrics much more palatable to modern ears) is now the official national anthem. And there's also the melody's origin as the Austro-Hungarian imperial anthem, which most people are unaware of.

* The Mexican anthem has ''10'' stanzas, yet only the first and the last ones are usually sung. If you really go overboard and sing the "long" version - the one sung in national anthem singing contests - you'll be singing only the first, the fifth, the sixth, and the last stanzas. Another standard cut is to sing the first two of the "short" official version. "Oddly" enough, the version used by schools cuts off before the one about washing church bells with the blood of the enemy and [[AfterTheEnd making sure to leave very big ruins for the future to marvel at when we get wiped out]]... (All of the odd stuff in the Mexican anthem can be {{Handwave}}d by the fact that it was written by a romantic poet locked in his room by his fiancee, though.)
* The [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazilian_National_Anthem#Lyrics Brazilian anthem]] has fourteen, with the latter half (identical in melody to the first) being often omitted outside government/school settings. In fact, the instrumental rendition officially must feature only the first half. (And many sports events don't even play that half entirely, choosing to cut the last stanzas to play the intro entirely - though it's common for fans to continue singing even after the music stops.)

* "Auld Lang Syne" actually has four verses, but most people only know the first and the chorus. [[note]]Outside of Scotland, that is - many Scots will proudly bellow out the whole thing![[/note]] It doesn't help that the first verse is the only one that makes any kind of sense in English. And even then most people probably don't know what "auld lang syne" refers to. [[note]]It literally means "old long since" in Scots and means "the days of long ago".[[/note]]

** The third verse also may be omitted, often because of the lyrics' {{Unfortunate Implication|s}} that Christ came to give eternal life to men, but not to women: "Born that man no more may die / Born to raise the sons of earth / Born to give them second birth." (The more politically correct version substitutes "we" for "man", "us from the earth" for "the sons of earth", and "us" for "them" - which incidentally makes the hymn a lot more personal and poignant as well.)

* "O Come, All Ye Faithful", in its original Latin version as "Adeste Fideles", was written with four verses in 1740-43, but expanded to eight verses within a century. Only the original four verses are performed in most carol services - and the fourth verse ("Yea, Lord, we greet Thee") is only performed on Christmas Day in some countries.

* Many songs will cut a verse from the radio edit if the original version is particularly long. For instance:

** The single version of Music/DavidBowie's "Heroes" cuts out an opening chorus, a verse and a refrain, and starts a full two minutes into song. Many covers, such as Music/TheWallflowers' hit version, also follow this edit and start with the "I wish I could swim" verse.

*** "Beautiful"'s radio edit cuts the third verse - ironically, the one written after Eminem [[CreatorRecovery recovered from his addiction]], and more lyrically-intricate and playful than the other two verses as a result.

* Inverted: very few people know the introduction to {{WesternAnimation/Pinocchio}}'s "When You Wish Upon A Star" (especially since it has a different melody).

* Deliberately [[InvokedTrope invoked]] with anthem of Polish Scouting Association: after WWII, a new stanza was added at the Party's behest. The fact that it mostly invoked scout's service to the [[PeoplesRepublicOfTyranny People's Republic of Poland]] and socialism didn't sit well with many people, who - in turn - tend to conveniently "forgot" about it whenever they can.

Sheet music publishers who print only the familiar stanzas can be blamed for this. {{Theme Tune}}s also tend to be subject to this. Has [[JustForFun/IThoughtItMeant nothing to do with]] [[Main/LiteralMinded swearing in the second verse of a song.]]

-->"Somebody started the Star Spangled banner, and we sang the first verse - which is all that most people know..."

* The Mexican anthem has ''10'' stanzas, yet only the first and the last ones are usually sung. If you really go overboard and sing the "long" version - the one sung in national anthem singing contests - you'll be singing only the first, the fifth, the sixth, and the last stanzas. Another standard cut is to sing the first two of the "short" official version. "Oddly" enough, the version used by schools cuts off before the one about washing church bells with the blood of the enemy and [[AfterTheEnd making sure to leave very big ruins for the future to marvel at when we get wiped out]]... (All of the odd stuff in the Mexican anthem can be [[{{Handwave}} Handwaved]] by the fact that it was written by a romantic poet locked in his room by his fiancee, though.)

** Second half is somewhat an [[{{AvertedTrope}} aversion]]. It starts with "Deitado eternamente em berço esplêndido" (something like "Lying down a splendid cradle forever") has, along the centuries, [[{{MemeticMutation}} being well known]] as a complaint about passivity or inertia, from moms scolding [[{{TheSlacker}} lazy kids]] to [[{{ApatheticCitizens}} politic criticism]].

* "İstiklâl Marşı", the [[UsefulNotes/{{Turkey}} Turkish]] national anthem has 10 stanzas in total, of which only the first two are designated for official use. Reasons include that beyond the first two, the anthem is rather militaristic and anti-West in nature (it was composed during the War of Independence, when Turkey had to defend itself against no less than five foreign armies), not to mention that later verses, particularly the eighth one, explicitly talk about religion (specifically, UsefulNotes/{{Islam}}), which clash with the official policy of secularism. The full anthem ''used'' to be recited in its entirety during the early years of its adoption, mostly as a rallying jargon for the Turkish National Movement, and it continues to be featured in student classrooms.
* "Himni i Flamurit" has six stanzas, the first two of which are generally known, the third less so, and beyond is almost never used. [[UsefulNotes/{{Albania}} Albanians]] usually repeat the last two lines of the second stanza to make up for the rest.

* Many renditions of "Sleigh Ride", including The Marvelettes, leave out the entire B-section (the part that begins "There's a birthday party at the home of Farm—" [''[[WhipItGood whip]]''] "—er Gray...").

** The third verse also may be omitted, often because of the lyrics' [[UnfortunateImplications Unfortunate Implication]] that Christ came to give eternal life to men, but not to women: "Born that man no more may die / Born to raise the sons of earth / Born to give them second birth." (The more politically correct version substitutes "we" for "man", "us from the earth" for "the sons of earth", and "us" for "them" - which incidentally makes the hymn a lot more personal and poignant as well.)

* Referenced to in ''Manga/SatouKashiNoDanganWaUchinukenai''. Umino's father was once a well-known celebrity and he sung a popular song. Few remember the final verse and it has a peppy tune. It seems like a peaceful, romantic song about a mermaid and man however in the end he kills her and makes her into sashimi

* The ''Toho Eurobeat'' song "Savior of the Sky", a vocal arrangement of the final boss theme from ''[[VideoGame/{{Touhou}} Undefined Fantastic Object]]'', has two verses in the liner notes, but according to vocalist Travis Stebbins AKA Odyssey, the audio for the second verse was lost or corrupted, forcing Sugano to settle for a repeat of the first verse.

* Lazy Moonkin's rendition of [[MusicalChores Myla's song]] from ''VideoGame/HollowKnight'' adds a new verse:
-->Oh, bury the Vessel, in the Abyss below!\\
Bury the Wyrm, died ages ago!\\
A shining creator, his dreams and his light!\\
Let him be consumed, by our new Knight!

* On ''VideoGame/SonicAndKnuckles'''s [[KeepCirculatingTheTapes hard-to-find]] OST, the [[https://youtu.be/ddLnuj24hp8?t=19m26s Lava Reef Zone]] theme has a bridge section that the game version lacks.

Sheet music publishers who print only the familiar stanzas can be blamed for this. {{Theme Tune}}s also tend to be subject to this.

* "The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down" is best known as the ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' theme from 1938 onwards. Almost nobody alive today remembers the introductory verse, in which a man tells of his date with a woman at an amusement park, where they find time to "spark" while riding the titular merry-go-round.

* The French national anthem ''La Marseillaise'' has many stanzas. Most French people only know one stanza and the chorus.
** Though interestingly, the chorus has a nice Christmasy bit about "let the tainted blood [of the invader] fertilize our soil," which can give all the above neglected verses a run for their money.

* ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventure'' mostly plays this straight, with longer versions of the opening that can generally only be heard in live shows or the [=OSTs=]. However, [[Manga/DiamondIsUnbreakable Part 4]]'s anime averts it with its final opening. The intro ''does'' only use the first verse, sure... [[spoiler: except that the Bites the Dust version starts with the second verse. So if you watch the normal and Bites the Dust versions of the opening, you will have heard the complete song.]]

[[folder: Other Media]]

[[AC: Advertising]]

[[AC: Anime and Manga]]

[[AC: Film]]

-->If I only could take
-->All the love that you give
-->And escape to a world
-->Crystal clear

[[AC: Literature]]

-->It's all to easy to lose track of each other
-->When you're busy trying to get ahead
-->If I didn't stop and say "I love you", lady
-->Just look in my eyes, and consider it said

[[AC: Theatre]]

[[AC: Video Games]]

-->Years in the future I still linger at your side
-->I wouldn't dream to have more
-->(Tonight I'm) eagerly waiting your decision to keep me
-->Or to leave me as before

-->Oh, bury the Vessel, in the Abyss below!
-->Bury the Wyrm, died ages ago!
-->A shining creator, his dreams and his light!
-->Let him be consumed, by our new Knight!

[[AC: Web Original]]

[[AC: Western Animation]]

---->Transformers!
---->More than they appear
---->Transformers!
---->Justice, bolts, and gears!

-->When it seems to be heading for
-->The final curtain
-->Cool deduction never fails
-->Well, that's for certain
-->The worst of messes
-->Can become successes
-->(chorus)

-->Your special day
-->We celebrate now, the pony way
-->Your friends are all right here
-->Won't let these moments disappear

-->Something is wrong, it's plain to see
-->This isn't how it's meant to be
-->And you can't see it like I do
-->It's not the life that's meant for you

*** "Stan" was frequently played with the last verse (Marshall's letter back to Stan) removed. On the live performance on ''Series/TopOfThePops'', both the last verse and the middle verse were cut.