# 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:** 4
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2005, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-your-school-song/304378/61 "2005-05-21T03:28:21Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > College had dozens of songs…one of which was a University Alma Mater which we probably shared with Santa Cruz, **kyla**. The official fight song was thusly: > > \*Our sturdy golden bear > Is watching from the skies > \* Golden bear, huh? Banana slugs are mentioned in the next verse maybe? ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2005, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-your-school-song/304378/62 "2005-05-21T03:37:59Z")
> [@OtakuLoki](#): > > Well, I remember this one: > > Far above Cayuga’s waters there’s an awful smell > Some say it’s Cayuga’s waters, some say it’s Cornell > > Of course this is a parody of the official song - but no one I’d ever met at Cornell knew those lyrics. _Far above Cayuga’s waters, with its waves of blue Stands our noble Alma Mater, glorious to view Lift the chorus, speed it onward Loud her praises tell Hail to thee, our Alma Mater Hail, all hail Cornell_ ---
**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 21, 2005, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-your-school-song/304378/63 "2005-05-21T13:36:22Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > Golden bear, huh? Banana slugs are mentioned in the next verse maybe? The Austin Lounge Lizards wrote and recorded [Banana Slugs! Racing Down the Field](http://www.mp3.com/tracks/4964038/dl_streams.html), as a Proposed UC-Santa Cruz Fight Song. I don’t know if it was adopted as the official fight song or not, though. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2005, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-your-school-song/304378/64 "2005-05-21T14:07:37Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > Golden bear, huh? Banana slugs are mentioned in the next verse maybe? Well, no; that was poorly phrased. There’s a campus alma mater (“All Hail Blue and Gold”), but there’s also a University alma mater (“Hail to California”). (I may have those reversed.) One presumes that the University alma mater is common to all 9 campuses of UC. “Fight for California” (the golden bear song) is just for Cal, ie, Berkeley. UCLA stole “Big C” from us, though. ---
**Author:** ![RobuSensei](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/919ad9/32.png) [@RobuSensei](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobuSensei)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2005, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-your-school-song/304378/65 "2005-05-21T14:30:18Z")
My high school fight song got flushed away in the era of PC: \*I-N-D-I-A-N-S Shows for the team that’s best Fight, fight, for green and white The champions on parade (rah! rah! rah!) Cheer for the Indians valiant Cheer for the school (something something) Cheer, cheer, for P-A-R-K The school that we all (something)\* The year after I graduated, the Park Senior High School Indians became the Park High School Wolfpack. \>sigh\< My college apparently is the only post-secondary school in the U.S. that has a fight song in 3/4 time. That’s right – _a fight waltz._ \*We come from St. Olaf We sure are the real stuff Our team is the cream of the colleges great We fight fast and furious Our team is injurious Tonight Carleton College will sure meet it’s fate Um! Yah! Yah! Um! Yah! Yah! Um! Yah! Yah! Um! Yah! Yah! Um! Yah! Yah! Um! Yah! Yah! Um! Yah! Yah! YAH!\* There was a college “hymn,” too – “High on Manitou Heights.” Kind of schmaltzy. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2005, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-your-school-song/304378/66 "2005-05-21T22:00:11Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > Well, no; that was poorly phrased. There’s a campus alma mater (“All Hail Blue and Gold”), but there’s also a University alma mater (“Hail to California”). (I may have those reversed.) One presumes that the University alma mater is common to all 9 campuses of UC. I was just joshin’. Banana slugs aren’t really the most song-inspiring of creatures, I have to admit. ---
**Author:** ![Dark\_Side\_of\_the\_Floyd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bb73d2/32.png) [@Dark\_Side\_of\_the\_Floyd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dark_Side_of_the_Floyd)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2005, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-your-school-song/304378/67 "2005-05-22T00:38:11Z")
_We stand beneath the blue and gold our alma mater pledge to thee Something something…er Uh…Something_ Hey, I was only at that godawful school for a year. Ow, stop throwing things! ---
**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 22, 2005, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-your-school-song/304378/68 "2005-05-22T20:24:52Z")
I am truly impressed by the number of people with such school spirit that they remember their school songs! I see an infomercial for such a collection! A fortune is waiting to be made. Or not… ---
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2005, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-your-school-song/304378/69 "2005-05-22T22:40:53Z")
I don’t remember it because I had school spirit. I remember it because now, 15+ years later, I could probably still play the stupid thing on my French Horn, from memory. ---
**Author:** ![baronsabato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed655f/32.png) [@baronsabato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/baronsabato)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2005, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-your-school-song/304378/70 "2005-05-23T00:49:45Z")
I was in high school choir, and that was only three years ago, so I remember it well (along with the melody _and_ the bass harmony): _Hail Alma Mater, the card’nal and the gold! We sing to thee Arcadia, thy spirit strong and bold! Far 'cross the land, our voices raised on high, All hail, Apache sons, Apache daughters! All hail, all hail!_ During the line “All hail, Apache sons and daughters,” we’d stomp our feet to simulate some sort of stereotypical Native American war dance or something. Not terribly PC. ---
**Author:** ![percypercy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8baadc/32.png) [@percypercy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/percypercy)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2005, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-your-school-song/304378/71 "2005-05-23T14:50:40Z")
St. Mary’s! St. Mary’s! Shine thy guiding light, down every dark pathway and lead us aright let thy truth eternal illumine our way and grant us the wisdome to guide us this day Yes, I did go to a religious school, how’d you guess? And then we had a cheer:(our school mascot was the turkey) Lemme see your turkey trot What’s that you say? I said, Lemme see your turkey trot! ooh ah, etc. and, it repeats. And you sort of do the chicken dance. -Lil ---
**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 23, 2005, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-your-school-song/304378/72 "2005-05-23T15:01:22Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > I was just joshin’. Banana slugs aren’t really the most song-inspiring of creatures, I have to admit. As opposed to the geoduck? ---
**Author:** ![swampbear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampbear/32/467_2.png) [@swampbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampbear)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2005, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-your-school-song/304378/73 "2005-05-23T18:47:25Z")
**THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA ALMA MATER** (Verses) From the hills of Georgia’s northland Beams thy noble brow, And the sons of Georgia rising Pledge with sacred vow. ‘Neath the pine trees’ stately shadow Spread thy riches rare. And thy sons, dear Alma Mater, Will thy treasures share. And thy daughters proudly join thee, Take their rightful place, Side by side into the future, Equal dreams embrace. Through the ages, Alma Mater, Men will look to thee; Thou the fairest of the Southland, Georgia’s Varsity. (Chorus) Alma Mater, thee we’ll honor, True and loyal be, Ever crowned with praise and glory, Georgia, hail to thee. _sniff_ Almost makes me wish I hadda stayed sober enough at a football game or two to actually remember the tune to it. _sniff_ Of course I do recall the UGA Fight Song Glory! Glory! To Ol’ Georgia! Glory! Glory! To Ol’ Georgia! Glory! Glory! To Ol’ Georgia! G - E - O - R - G - I - A or: WOOF! WOOF! WOOF! WOOF! WOOF! WOOF! WOOF! or at the Georgia Tech game: AND TO HELL WITH GEORGIA TECH! There was another school song too but I never learned it. Just remembered the band playing it a lot. UGA was not a _cough_sobering_cough_ time in my life. The last two lines of my high school alma mater went something like this: From our hearts we sing the chorus time shall never change! Hail to the our alma mater! Thee to hell LaGrange! I might have gotten a couple of words kinda confused in that last line. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Katriona](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/katriona/32/113_2.png) [@Katriona](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Katriona)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2005, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-your-school-song/304378/74 "2005-05-23T18:49:54Z")
In high school, we always sang ours at pep rallies, games, etc. I’m a little shaky on the words, because I was in the band, so playing rather than singing. I could probably still play the tune. I went to my parents’ university, so I grew up knowing that song. KSU, we’ll carry thy banners high KSU, long, long may thy colors fly ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2005, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-your-school-song/304378/75 "2005-05-24T01:49:08Z")
I know that there’s something about the school colors in my high school’s song, but the only people who knew it were a few of the athletes. My college doesn’t have one. Uh, we have a motto, and I know that: “Facio liberos ex liberis libris libraque.” “I make free adults out of children by means of books and a balance”. Alternately (perhaps, for **Rilchiam**?): I liberate lads and lassies with libraries and laboratories. ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2005, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-your-school-song/304378/76 "2005-05-24T11:08:10Z")
Sure, I remember. At every Penn State football game, the crowd stood up and sang: \*We don’t know the goddamn words. We don’t know the goddamn words. We don’t know the goddamn words. We don’t know the words. \* Those aren’t the lyrics? ---
**Author:** ![swampbear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampbear/32/467_2.png) [@swampbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampbear)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2005, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-your-school-song/304378/77 "2005-05-24T12:23:33Z")
> [@toadspittle](#): > > \*We don’t know the goddamn words. > We don’t know the goddamn words. > We don’t know the goddamn words. > We don’t know the words. > \* Maybe _that’s_ the words to the other UGA fight song! It’s catchy. I like it. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2005, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-your-school-song/304378/78 "2005-05-24T13:15:42Z")
Orchard View High School, Muskegon MI Come on and go team fight we’ll win tonight the thrill of victory will come We’ll stand the test we’ll do the best that any school has ever done So give a cheer - rah - fight go Orchard View another cheer - rah - fight we are all for you the Cardinals is our name and we will fight to win this game. ---
**Author:** ![carlb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carlb/32/5930_2.png) [@carlb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carlb)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2005, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-your-school-song/304378/79 "2005-05-24T21:42:17Z")
_Here’s to old RPI, her fame may never die. Here’s to old Rensselaer, she stands today without a peer. Here’s to those olden days. Here’s to those golden days. Here’s to the friends we made at dear old RPI._ Meh. The fourth line had these octave jumps which made it nigh impossible to sing well if you were not musically inclined The fight song was marginally better: _Hail, dear old Rensselaer, the college of our hearts. For dear old Rensselaer each man must do his part. (Fight! Fight! Fight!) True sons of Rensselear, we’ll always strive to be. For dear old Rensselear, Hail to thee!_ We found an old book of RPI drinking songs which were more fun, more singable, and infinitely more appropriate. I sang (and heard) my high school alma mater exactly once - at graduation. ---
**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 24, 2005, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-your-school-song/304378/80 "2005-05-24T22:27:59Z")
> [@baronsabato](#): > > I was in high school choir, \ I was in my high school Choir, too, but we never sang the generic school song. The only time was at baccalaureat, or maybe graduation - one of those, and the whole class was singing, not just the choir. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-your-school-song/304378.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-your-school-song/304378.md?page=5)