Taps is a military theme, usually played on bugle or trumpet and used to signify lights out. The song was arranged by General Daniel Butterfield who based it on an earlier song called Scott Tattoo. Gen. Butterfield first ordered the song to be played in July of 1862 during the American Civil War. In addition to a call for lights out, Taps has also been used to conclude military funerals. In video games, it is often used for "Game Over".
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Composition
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Games
Gunfight (A8)
Plays whenever a player dies.
Dough Boy (FC)
Plays at the start of a level.
Street Surfer (C64)
After you're thrown off your skateboard with no health left, Taps plays and the board keeps rolling and steering by itself (or your ghost?), first with the road scrolling along, and finally into the distance.
Taps plays in two sawtooth waves at 424 Hz, sounding closer to B major. The driver is interleaved with David Barbour's game code and completely different from David Whittaker's theme and sound effects.
The arrangement sounds the same on every SID chip and is track 2 in the rip.
4x4 Off-Road Racing (C64)
If you smash your 4x4 into a large obstacle on the road, it will explode, and you'll hear Taps played as your wreckage smolders.
Taps was arranged for one sawtooth wave in F major. On PAL C64s, it is tuned at 424 Hz, sounding closer to E major. It sounds otherwise the same on every SID chip. In the rip, it is track 2, but starts at 0:02 because the aforementioned explosion (not recorded) is an actual part of the arrangement.
4x4 Off-Road Racing (DOS)
Like the original Commodore game, Taps plays when you crash your truck.
4x4 Off-Road Racing (ZXS)
Like the original Commodore game, Taps plays when you crash your truck.
When on a Spectrum 128, the song is played on the internal AY-3-8912.
Wolfenstein 3D (DOS)
The first few notes of Taps are played in The March to War at about 27 seconds in.
Bugs! (W16)
Plays after you lose your last life and click OK.
Adventure Math (DOS)
If you left the setup with only Sound (PC Speaker) on, and you get 11 questions in a quiz wrong, a picture named ending appears and Taps plays. Once it finishes, you may press a key.
The arrangement is largely in ¾ time, and the three partials at 0:08 are too high. Typed in QuickBASIC 4.5, it equates to:
PLAY "t250o1l4ggo2l1co1l4go2cl1eo1l4go2cl2eo1l4go2l4cl2e"
PLAY "o1l4go2cl1el4cel1gl4gel1co1l4ggo2l1c"
Most PC speaker jingles affect each other. After 10th Correct plays, all notes turn staccato. The VGMPF has not recorded that. After Taps itself plays, the quarter notes in Opener and Adventure Math Menu turn into whole notes.
For recording, the game was played on a Pentium 60 MHz with a microphone standing in front of its PC Speaker.
Adventure Math Deluxe (DOS)
Same as Adventure Math (DOS).
Lyrics
There have been several various lyrics written for the song, but the official lyrics to Taps were written by Horace Lorenzo Trim.
Day is done, gone the sun
From the lakes, from the hills, from the sky
All is well, safely rest
God is nigh.
Fading light dims the sight
And a star gems the sky, gleaming bright
From afar, drawing near
Falls the night.
Thanks and praise for our days
Neath the sun, neath the stars, neath the sky
As we go, this we know
God is nigh.
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