# Did you know your school song? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 18, 2005, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-your-school-song/304378 "2005-05-18T10:38:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-your-school-song/304378/1 "2005-05-18T10:38:16Z")
Did your school have a school song? Any idea what it was? Ever sing it? I was just listening to a report on NPR talking to graduating seniors in New York, asking how the loss of the two towers affected their lives. It ended with the reporter (who had graduated from the same school eons back) describing her school song, set to the tune of a classical piece (can’t recall - wasn’t listening that closely) and she asked the students she’d interviewed if they knew the school song. They weren’t aware there was one. Anyway, that got me thinking about my high school - Parkville Senior High, class of '72. At our baccalaureate, we sang our “alma mater” - but it wasn’t special to our school. It was a generic piece they must have picked out of “My Little Golden Book of Alma Mater Songs” - it was embarrassing. If I recall the first couple of lines correctly (and I doubt that I will) it went something like: Beloved Alma Mater, your sons and daughters raise, _Something something something, something else_, praise. Touching, huh? No where was Parkville mentioned, which is why I’m sure it’s just a generic song. Was/Is your school more creative? I’d hate to think that everyone was as traumatized as I was by a careless choice of school song. 😉 Feel free to share touching or otherwise unique lyrics, if you dare! ---
**Author:** ![imthjckaz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/imthjckaz/32/3223_2.png) [@imthjckaz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/imthjckaz)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-your-school-song/304378/2 "2005-05-18T11:17:35Z")
“_Where the purple snow capped mountains Reach the clear blue sky Lies our cherished Alma Mater Our dear Redlands High Alma Mater, Alma Mater Deep graven in each heart Our loyalty unwavering true When ever from you we part._” The mountains aren’t purple, and occasionally are snow capped. Clear blue sky? In Sourthern California? Maybe when it was written, before this thing called smog came along. But I like the tune. ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-your-school-song/304378/3 "2005-05-18T11:42:39Z")
My high school required freshmen to learn the alma mater and the fight song. The alma mater - set to the same tune as Boston College’s school song - had suitably generic lyrics that it was probably purchased as a build-your-own-alma-mater kit, subtype religious high school: _Oh \ we hail thy name Loved guardian of our youth Oh radiant the holy flame That lights thy lamp of truth…_ The fight song was the imaginatively named _Fight Fight Fight,_ and I know that one was frequently used, since at football games we’d hear competing school’s marching bands playing the same damn tune. The lyrics, of course, made no mention of the school name or anything that could identify any school in particular… At Pitt I was in the band for one year and therefore had to learn the alma mater and both fight songs. The alma mater is set to a classical piece that is also used for the German national anthem, very pretty, though again with rather generic lyrics. As for the fight songs, well, for all you Pitt grads out there, when you were all yelling _Penn State Sucks,_ you were really meant to be yelling _Fight Pitt Fight._ In the other song, the fight cry is _Alleghenee Genack Genack Genack,_ which explains why they wrote a new fight song 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Susie\_Derkins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47774/32.png) [@Susie\_Derkins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Susie_Derkins)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-your-school-song/304378/4 "2005-05-18T12:12:48Z")
Hmm…interesting. Ours went something like: \*In the heart of mumble Florida Posed beneath the sky(?) Stands our only alma mater Hail to Chipley High Something, something Something, something Now we sing thy praise For the kindness thou hast shown us (yeah right) Through our high school daaaays\* Yeah, it sucked. We had to sing it at graduation, I think. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-your-school-song/304378/5 "2005-05-18T12:20:41Z")
Our high school had a song that was sung at all the football games, so it was pretty well known. MIT, surprisingly, actually has a real song (and not _The Engineer’s Song_, which a lot of people know). It’s _Ye Sons of MIT_, and I’ll bet no one knows it. Once, before the showed the Friday Night film, the unmistakeable erland van Lidthe de Jeude stood up and sang the song. The words were projected on the screen and someone used a laser pointer to give a “follow the bouncing ball” effect, because otherwise no one would be able to sing it. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-your-school-song/304378/6 "2005-05-18T12:24:21Z")
\*Loyal and true We pledge allegiance to you. This is our motto: We are one for all and all for Southold High School You are our school We pledge allegiance to you Forever more you find us Ever loyal and true.\* ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-your-school-song/304378/7 "2005-05-18T12:27:55Z")
I’m pretty sure Purdue has a song. Never heard it, never sang it, never thought about it till just now. No, I’m not a member of the Alumni Association - you had to ask?? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Odinoneeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/97f17d/32.png) [@Odinoneeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odinoneeye)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-your-school-song/304378/8 "2005-05-18T14:10:13Z")
My high school and college songs were the same tune, only different lyrics College (well known) Hail to the victors valiant Hail to the victors valiant Hail Hail to Michigan the leaders of the West high school Hail to the victors valiant Hail to the conquering heroes Hail Hail to Churchil High the leaders and the best We weren’t that creative. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-your-school-song/304378/9 "2005-05-18T14:20:15Z")
> [@flodnak](#): > > The alma mater - set to the same tune as Boston College’s school song And that tune is _Ein Prosit_, the German drinking song. I remember my HS’s fight song, but I don’t remember it even having an alma mater. I certainly remember my college’s alma mater, which doubled as its drinking song, with a lot of references to “raise your steins on high”. The lyrics have been degendered since, but the new ones don’t scan so the hell with 'em. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-your-school-song/304378/10 "2005-05-18T14:32:21Z")
Upon noticing **Cal** ’s post: Sadly, the Registration Day porn movie in Kresge is a thing of the past, and [so is Erland](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0887419/) (sob). Remember warming up for “Ye Sons of MIT” (now “All Ye of MIT”, yecch, and even the Boston Pops rendition on Tech Night doesn’t save it) with the Attitude Check and the Beaver Call? You think nobody remembers the lyrics. Ha, I say, ha: Arise, ye sons of MIT, in loyal brotherhood, The future beckons unto ye, and life is full and good. Arise, and raise your steins on high, tonight shall ever be A mem’ry that will never die, ye sons of MIT. Once more thy sons, O MIT, return from far and wide And gather here once more to be renourished by thy side. And as we raise our steins on high, to pledge our love for thee, We join thy sons of days gone by, in praise of MIT. Ye loyal sons of MIT, when clouds of war burn red In foreign land, on distant sea, your battle line is spread. To you, we raise our steins on high, wherever you may be, And join your voices from the sky in praise of MIT. (_salute to Erland’s version coming_] A-a-a-a-me-e-en… ---
**Author:** ![exastris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b38774/32.png) [@exastris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/exastris)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-your-school-song/304378/11 "2005-05-18T14:35:44Z")
I remember my elementary school song (which really sounded like a nice alma mater song rather than a kids la-la type thing.) As for my high school, no one, and I mean _no one_ knew the tune of the alma mater. The words were written down, but no one in the entire operation knew the song itself. Me and a couple others (being the music geeks) wrote the darn thing as a final project for AP music theory. Does anyone know the tune now? Of course not. I’m not even sure that I still do, and I agonized over that thing. I heard one of my college alma maters for the first time at graduation. The other college I never heard. I’m not even convinced they had one. ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-your-school-song/304378/12 "2005-05-18T15:39:20Z")
My high school was an all-girls’ Catholic school with a distinct Marianist lean. I can’t remember most of the words to our song, but it was rediculous. The only lines I remember is: _Our hearts aglow with filial love we honor thee._ (I think it called Mary Queen of All Creation, but I’m not sure). I remember that line distinctly because “aglow” was more like “agloooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooow” at a _very very very_ high pitch, which maybe one in every 100 students could actually hit. It became quite entertaining to hear people try to reach the note, and have the vast majority of voices way off key, or cracking. 😃 Apparently my college (which I just left this semester :: sniff :: ) had a song, but _no one_ knew it existed until we saw it in the program for commencement. 😃 It’s called “Dear Old Lawrence Tech”, but the words weren’t there so people were making some up under their breath before the recession (it was just an instrumental piece at commencement). ---
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-your-school-song/304378/13 "2005-05-18T15:44:55Z")
To the tune of Anchors Aweigh. This is the only school song I knew, although I didn’t graduate from this high school. Fort Macleod, Alberta. _We are from F.P. Walshe, Victory is our cry! Steadfast and feeearless, the best school in the west! Rah Rah Rah! Though many years go by, we’ll remember you! F.P. Walshe, we love you!_ ---
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-your-school-song/304378/14 "2005-05-18T15:49:33Z")
School songs must be an American thing. Mine in Canada had none. But it could have been _White Punks On Dope_. ---
**Author:** ![RancidYakButterTeaParty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/53a042/32.png) [@RancidYakButterTeaParty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RancidYakButterTeaParty)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-your-school-song/304378/15 "2005-05-18T15:58:45Z")
Unofficialy, “Get a match, grab a lighter, the best way to learn is when school’s on fire”. ---
**Author:** ![Tamex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Tamex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamex)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-your-school-song/304378/16 "2005-05-18T15:59:55Z")
My high school had a unique school song…but that doesn’t mean it was good. The tune was all right, (IIRC, we were the only school in our conference who hadn’t ripped off the tune from a college) but the lyrics left, well, a little to be desired. Perhaps it is because of all the O’s in my school’s name that needed to be rhymed. \*Stand up and cheer for good ol’ Orono Spartans, we want to see you go Our team will fight for us Our team will cheer for us And show the foe we really know the game–Rah Rah Rah! Mumble mumble mumble mumble Orono Show them we’ll beat the foe! We will win this game and with it fame So (fight/cheer?) for good ol’ Orono! O-R-O-N-O \* “What’s that spell? I don’t know!” 😉 The use of the word “foe”–twice!–just irks me. That and the confusion about who is supposed to be fighting and who is supposed to be cheering. We all got a folder issued to us as freshmen which had the school rules and school song and school crest printed on it. When I lived in Montana, I played in the pep band in junior high, and while I don’t know the words to the high school fight song, I do know that the tune was the “Washington and Lee Swing”, which is an awesome song. I’m sure that if I had gone to high school there, I would have learned the words. The University of Minnesota has several songs. The most famous one is the Rouser, which they made us sing during Freshman Orientation so that we could learn the words: _Minnesota, hats off to thee! To thy colors true we should ever be Firm and strong, united are we Rah rah rah for Ski_-U-Mah Rah rah rah rah Rah for the U of M\* \*pronounced “sky” Didn’t your school pep band play the fight song at games and pep rallies? I can understand not knowing the words, but the tune…well maybe Straight Dopers (who weren’t in band) were not the type to attend games. ---
**Author:** ![bradministrator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a698b9/32.png) [@bradministrator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bradministrator)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-your-school-song/304378/17 "2005-05-18T16:02:29Z")
I only remember our elementary school song: We are the school The school that beats all the rest Wannabe best but they can’t Because we really are hot We care a lot About learning, sharing, doing the best we can Searching, growing, finding out all we can 'Cause we will learn to fly higher than high Because we have what it takes to go farther than far Because we have what it takes to go far O-R-A-N-G-E Orange! H-U-N-T Hunt! Orange Hunt! ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-your-school-song/304378/18 "2005-05-18T16:08:55Z")
My school song has actually been in [The Straight Dope](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_073.html). ---
**Author:** ![sWitchazel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@sWitchazel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sWitchazel)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-your-school-song/304378/19 "2005-05-18T16:15:26Z")
I know we had an official school song, but here’s the only thing I remember singing at the footbal games: _Give three big cheers for old Mendahm High, You bring the whiskey, I’ll bring the rye. Send the freshmen out for gin, And don’t let a sober sophmore in. Na na na We never stumble, we never fall. We sober up on wood alcohol. When we yell we yell like HELL! For the glory of Mendham High._ ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-your-school-song/304378/20 "2005-05-18T17:25:29Z")
I think this is directly related to how many sporting events you attended. In high school, I went to none, and have no idea what the alma mater was. In college, I worked at the football games and I know both the fight song and alma mater by heart. Not just that, bonus trivia about how it was changed to be less sexist: _My father sent me to old Rutgers And resolved that I should be **a man** _ And this very iffy rhyme: _For has she not **stood** Since the time of the **flood** ,_ This is my favorite verse: _My heart clings closer than the ivy As life runs out its fleeting span, To the stately, ancient walls Of her hallowed, classic halls_ [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-your-school-song/304378.md?page=2)