At 09:35 PM 3/6/2004 -0800 Gautam Mukunda wrote:
>Could I say, as a Marylander since about the second
>day of my life (I was born in Washington DC) how much
>I _hate_ that song? I mean really, really hate that
>song. The state needs to get rid of it pretty much
>immediately.
Well, I have somewhat mixed feelings about this. First, let me be up
front in saying that my persepective on this is almost certainly a little
different on this subject because 1) I am an immigrant to Maryland and 2)
Growing up in Upstate New York, I never had occasion to encounter "Lost
Cause" Confederacy nostalgia in person, pretty much until after I graduated
college.
Anyhow, the first time I heard a performance of "My Maryland, My Maryland"
was at a living history/folk music performance in Gettysburg, PA. I think
that they tok some liberties with the lyrics, by adding a few more ronuds
of "My Maryland, My Maryland" than are ordinarily called for, but they
explained the lyrics and historical context, and nevertheless the result
was a rousing anthem of the sort that men would sing in a bar together - at
least back when men still sang in bars.
To my mind at least, that is what a good state song should be all about.
It is eminently singable, and is very easy to get into a rousing mood for.
Indeed, it would be perfect following halftime of a Ravens game.... if, of
course, the lyrics weren't so horribly offensive.
So far, I've only seen one proposal for changing the lyrics to the song,
and it was a hideous paen to diversity and whatnot. My ideal situation
would be, to say, have some new lyrics penned commemorating Maryland's
Heritage of religious freedom and its role in the Revolutionary War ("The
Old Line") and the War of 1812.... and then keep the original lyrics as
like the 3rd and succeeding verses. Just as pretty much noone knows the
second verse to "The Star Spangled Banner," the original lyrics would
remain party of Maryland's history, but would hopefully eventually fall
even further into disuse.
While searching for the text of the rewrite mentioned above, I found this
decent attempt at alternate lyrics, which was proposed in the State Senate
two years ago, and as based on an old poem, writen in 1894.
11 WE DEDICATE OUR SONG TO THEE,
12 MARYLAND, MY MARYLAND,
13 THE HOME OF LIGHT AND LIBERTY,
14 MARYLAND, MY MARYLAND,
15 WE LOVE THY STREAMS AND WOODED HILLS,
16 THY MOUNTAINS WITH THEIR GUSHING RILLS,
17 THY SCENES--OUR HEART WITH RAPTURE FILLS--
18 MARYLAND, MY MARYLAND.
19 II
20 IN TWAIN THE CHESAPEAKE DIVIDES
21 MARYLAND, MY MARYLAND,
22 WHILE OCEANWARD ITS WATER GLIDES,
23 MARYLAND, MY MARYLAND.
24 YET WE IN THOUGHT AND PURPOSE ONE,
25 PURSUE THE WORK SO WELL BEGUN,
26 AND MAY OUR STATE BE NE'ER OUTDONE,
27 MARYLAND, MY MARYLAND.
28 III
29 PROUD SONS AND DAUGHTERS BOAST OF THEE,
30 MARYLAND, MY MARYLAND.
31 THINE IS A PRECIOUS HISTORY,
32 MARYLAND, MY MARYLAND.
33 BRAVE HEARTS HAVE HELD THY HONOR DEAR,
34 HAVE MET THE FOEMAN FAR AND NEAR,
35 BUT VICTORY HAS FURNISHED CHEER,
36 MARYLAND, MY MARYLAND.
JDG
5 SENATE BILL 19
1 IV
2 "SAIL ON, SAIL ON, O SHIP OF STATE!"
3 MARYLAND, MY MARYLAND.
4 MAY WE, THY CHILDREN, MAKE THEE GREAT,
5 MARYLAND, MY MARYLAND.
6 MAY GRATITUDE OUR HEARTS POSSESS,
7 AND BOLDLY WE THY CLAIMS EXPRESS,
8 AND BOW IN LOVING THANKFULNESS,
9 MARYLAND, MY MARYLAND.
JDG
_______________________________________________________
John D. Giorgis - [EMAIL PROTECTED]
"The liberty we prize is not America's gift to the world,
it is God's gift to humanity." - George W. Bush 1/29/03
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